Over the past decade the internet has evolved from a technical environment into a commercial marketplace. The impact on consumers and large enterprises has been significant, but what about the small and medium sized business? With few of the skills and resources of their larger counterparts, these organisations need to get the best value from the internet and the network based services it enables, without risking day-to-day operations. Although employees will be increasingly aware of the options for connecting to the internet as consumers, this does not readily translate into the right knowledge for how to select the most appropriate alternatives from internet service providers for the business they work for. ...
29/05/2008 | Soaring not Surfing_optimised.pdf | VIEW
The software as a service (SaaS) delivery model has matured to such an extent that there is now an on-demand component to most software applications, whether it is online help, automated updates or the main application engine. At the same time, many vendors are realising that to provide a satisfactory end user experience, total reliance on a web browser is not always enough and a desktop component is often needed. The need to link with on-premise components extends beyond the desktop to legacy software maintained internally and as business processes, that span organisations, are linked together using a mix of on-premise and on-demand applications, expert help is still needed to integrate it all. ...
12/05/2008 | Quocirca on-premise and on-demand May 2008.pdf | VIEW
Virtual private networks (VPNs) are the technologies most widely used by organisations today in the provision of remote access to their networks for employees, business partners and suppliers. Of the VPNs available, IPSec (Internet Protocol Security) VPNs provide the most complete remote access solution, although they have traditionally been seen as costly and difficult to deploy. A new generation of IPSec VPNs, which can enable organisations to gain a centrally managed and high security remote access solution without the administrative burdens and overheads generally associated with IPSec VPN deployments, is now emerging. ...
28/04/2008 | The essential elements of secure remote access.pdf | VIEW
Voice and data communications are taking up an increasing amount of organisations' budgets as more information is shared between and across more businesses. Person to person contact now includes richer media, more participants and is becoming increasingly mobile. Historically telecoms expense management has focused on the mechanistic processing of bills, payment and costs of individual items. It is too simplistic to make blanket cuts or restrict use and opting for cheap alternatives may lead to a loss of business value. A better approach is needed for managing telecoms expense, so what best practices should companies adopt to meet their total communications needs and avoid unnecessary costs ...
11/04/2008 | Total telecoms expense management_optimised.pdf | VIEW
Today, many organisations are increasingly reliant on software application development to deliver them competitive edge. Simultaneously, they are progressively opening up their computer networks to business partners, customers and suppliers and making use of next-generation programming languages and computing techniques to provide a richer experience for these users. However, hackers are refocusing their attention on the vulnerabilities and flaws contained in those applications. As this report shows, organisations that use the tools available for improving the security of the applications that they develop spend less on IT security overall and, as a result, are less vulnerable. ...
31/03/2008 | Why Application Security is Crucial.pdf | VIEW
After years of uncontrolled growth, many data centres face a crisis as they run into space and power constraints. While remedies exist, present business practices do not encourage the prioritisation of power reduction within one of the most power hungry areas of a business ...
17/03/2008 | nlyte report final.pdf | VIEW
Businesses rely on widely distributed networks of workers, be they at HQ, in branch offices, mobile in the field or working at some other external location. Whilst the office continues to be seen as the primary place of work, more and more staff are spending at least part of their working week somewhere else. Certain employees have always needed to be on the move; today they are better connected but the availability of connectivity means that other jobs that were previously confined to offices can now also be done from afar, which also means they can be more easily outsourced to third parties. This report looks at the degree to which the 21st century workforce is distributed and the issues organisations have with enabling this. ...
11/03/2008 | Quocirca - The Distributed Business Index - March 2008.pdf | VIEW
The Average Inc. could do quite a lot to improve the ways it uses technology in order to reduce risk, ensuring business continuity, and to cut unnecessary cost. If Average Inc. needs to improve its use and management of its ICT infrastructure, then that means most real companies do as well. ...
10/03/2008 | Quocirca_-_Average_Inc_-_March_2008.pdf | VIEW
Whilst many organisations have invested resources in managing their IT infrastructure, few apply the same strategic focus to the document output environment. This can represent a huge cost drain, estimated to represent between 1% and 3% of total revenue. A managed and optimised print environment will lead to significant cost reductions whilst improving productivity and boosting any organisation's green credentials. ...
18/02/2008 | Quocirca_HP_Print_Intelligence_Final.pdf | VIEW
The financial services industry deals with a commodity that is primarily electronic-money. Consequently it spends more per employee on IT than any other industry. Despite this, there is a worrying tendency for information that should be confidential to end up in the public domain. Why is this and what can be done? ...
30/01/2008 | Quocirca_-_Banks_and_DLP_-_Jan_2008.pdf | VIEW
