Smart IT advice from award-winning Cornerstone
Welcome to the quarterly Cornerstone Advice Corner,
with Cornerstone Business Solutions’ managing director Chris Petty…
We use this space to let you know of any
forthcoming changes within the IT industry, whether
good or bad, and to give you advice on how you can
work as smart and as flexible as possible. In this
piece we look at Windows 10 and Offsite Backups.
Windows 10
Microsoft believes the future of Windows
is as a platform for all. That’s why Windows
10 is no longer just an operating system
for PCs. It will also run on smaller tablets
and smartphones
Windows 10 is being called “Windows
as a service”. Instead of being fixed for
three or more years until the next major
version, Windows 10 is being continuously
upgraded, based on how well it is working
in real life.
In this respect, it’s like any web-based
service, such as Office 365. With Windows
10, you don’t get left behind and you won’t
have to pay for expensive upgrades every
few years.
Windows 10 is FREE until July 2016. So,
with this in mind, should you upgrade?
First, you have to test the new operating
system to make sure it runs all of
your software, and also your in-house
programs, which may need some
rewriting. Second, employees generally
don’t like change, and they may need
some retraining, which costs money.
Microsoft has retained Windows 7 Pro as a
current product, alongside Windows 10. It
is also committed to supporting Windows
7 until 2020, so businesses have more
than four years to switch.
We would
suggest looking
at Windows 10
when you’re
considering
purchasing a
new machine but
remembering
all of the above
advice.
Offsite Backup
Data is the lifeblood of your business.
If it’s lost, interrupted, compromised or
destroyed, you go down with it.
You should now be seriously looking at
putting your data offsite into a secure data
centre.
Don’t just do a quick Google search and
put your data with a company just because
they have a fancy website. Make sure they
are reputable – and that you either know
them or you know others that use them.
This is what leading industry analysts
tell us about the data dangers that your
business faces:
• 93% of companies that lose their data
for 10 days or more file for bankruptcy
• 81% of businesses that experience
interruption to their operations will
suffer a closure
• 80% of businesses suffering a
major disaster go out of business in
three years; 40% of businesses that
experience a critical IT failure go out of
business within one year
Food for thought?
Get in touch
If you’re concerned about any of the
above, why not take advantage of
Cornerstone’s free IT health check? An
IT health check can look at Windows 10,
Offsite Backup and much more, giving you
a report on your network and suggested
improvements for security and efficiency.
To discuss this or any other
IT matters, get in touch on
[email protected]
or call 0845 223 2400.