Latest Accounting Articles » Computers

IT Services Sussex

JNevil — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

What is sometimes forgotten in today’s business world is that a company isn’t just rated and ranked by its profit and size it is also assessed by its information technology department. Regardless of how much money you would like to make if you don’t invest in proper IT services you will not make much money and that is for sure. These technologies have become some integrated into the day to day running of a company that with out them working efficiently you will not be able to reach your full potential market at all.

IT services have changed a lot over the last 2 decades of business running, in the beginning of the nineties computers barely had anything to do with it, and if you wanted to make any form of impact you’d had to get out there and do the foot work. Now thanks to these magic boxes of electronic programming it has made our lives 10 times easier when it comes to getting our brand out there, generating new customer bases, developing your products and keeping business ethics modernised and up to date. This ability gives the opportunity to make sure, to never alienate any collection of people because everyone is reachable via the internet. Another aspect of this is feedback, before you would have to write your answers on a post card but now you can fill out an electronic form and send it in a matter of seconds. All of these techniques have radicalised our view point when it comes to running a successful business.

Though computers services have flipped the economic world upside down and have made work a lot easier there is still a hitch. If your IT system was to ever go down or to be taken over by a virus it can take hours, days, weeks to get back up to a fully functional service, this is just not feasible within the pace of today’s world. If you are out of the running for even a week the capital and opportunities you have missed out on and given to your competitors is unreal. This is why with the road business is deciding to go down, you have to make sure IT is one of your main investment processes, if not you run the risk of seeing loses as well as frustration because sadly if your computer doesn’t work you don’t really work for that day either.

So don’t skimp on your services because it could end up being a very expensive mistake to try and put right.

Jeffrey Nevil writes on a number of subjects including
it services sussex.

The Applications And Benefits Of An Intranet System

JNevil — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

We’ve all heard of the internet, but you might not have heard of the intranet. Even if you have, you might not know exactly how it works or what specific intranet features and sites are beneficial. If you’ve ever logged into a network at school or at work – chances are you’ve been connected to an intranet. An intranet is an internal network designed to securely share the information of an organisation with those connected directly to it. This is contrasting with the internet, which is a network that shares information between organisations. So it’s essentially a private internet.

Intranets are great for the workplace, because they allow increased productivity through ease of communication between computers connected to a network. It can also do this at a high speed and without having to be reliant on an external internet service provider – which may go down from time to time. Intranets can be accessed via a web browser; this allows secure and seamless access to data so members of a network can get information faster and with a high degree of accuracy. This then carries forward to clients and customers, as they are served more efficiently.

Communication is a great advantage, I touched on it earlier. It allows for users to receive updated information on private data, which can be critically important and is easily conveyed through the system as opposed to through memorandums or other forms of conveyance. Potential applications would be intranet chat and internal email systems that allow instant communication across a network.

Documents are much more easily accessible with an intranet. This is beneficial for companies with large amounts of forms or training manuals that staff may need to access. It’s also a secure way to share such documents as a business may not regard sharing such information publicly as being in their best interests. As these documents are updatable, the version on the intranet will be the most recent and thus the correct one. This is also a useful tool for updating staff with the latest news and events.

Intranets are very cost-effective too. They allow for document maintenance and distribution to be very efficiently taken care of. As there is a shared copy of a document as to be used by everyone that can be updated and instantly available to staff – this is much more efficient than distributing individual copies, and then redistributing after an update. The costs of printing also come into play, with the necessity being diminished through use of an intranet which is thus better for the environment.

The ease of collaboration is the most striking feature of an intranet. It’s a synergistic approach that allows a specific audience to engage with their team and work towards shared goals as well as refine existing ones. The immediacy of updates and cross-platform capabilities are another striking feature, the creation of a customised intranet system enhances communication, collaboration and information sharing which is what makes the intranet special. Organisations benefit from such a system.

So there you have a little more information on what the intranet is, what it can do and why it is useful. Next time you log into a network at school or at work hopefully you’ll have a greater appreciation of the systems and processes that help such an organisation be more efficient and allow members to work together as a team.

Jeffrey Nevil writes on a number of subjects including intranet sites.

Long Ethernet Cables – What’s The Maximum Length You Can Use?

jaysmyth — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

Ethernet cables are the cable of choice for networking. They are used in both home and office environments. They carry data at rates up to 1000mbs and are the perfect solution to transmit information between computers. Ethernet leads are even used to stream live TV. More and more companies like Love Film in the United Kingdom are moving away from physical DVDs and are opting to stream content directly to your television. A common question surrounding Ethernet cables is one of length and in particular what is the maximum length you can use without loosing quality.

Ethernet cables can easily handle information at lengths up to 100 meters. Though they can suffer some signal loss when you use longer cables. In office environments is common for the cable to be supplied on a long 300 meter reel. Network specialist will then splice and join the cable in place. Whilst for home use many people will opt for a ready made and terminated lead, for example a lead. Buying ready made and terminated cables is far more convenient for the home user, if slightly more expensive. Not everyone is comfortable making and terminating their own cables. Expect to pay around ten pounds for a ten meter lead in the United Kingdom.

It’s a good idea to opt for a shielded cable if you are using longer runs. If you are using a cable 30m long, there is a chance your connection will suffer from crosstalk. Crosstalk is caused by electrical magnetic interference from other cables or devices in the near vicinity of your long Ethernet cable. the shielding adds a layer of foil around the internal cable and as the term suggests it shields from interference. Expect to pay slightly more for shielded cables, but remember they are worth the extra. An Ethernet cable 30m long should cost around fifteen pounds.

The RJ45 plug has 8 pins. They two most commonly used categories of cable are Cat5e and Cat6. Cat5e cables work at speeds up to 100mbs whilst Cat6 cables work at higher speeds of 1000mbs or Gigabit. For home computing or live TV streaming either of these two categories is ideal, if your budget can stretch you are best opting for the fast Cat6 cable, you may not necessarily see the speed benefit if your network or equipment is not capable of those speeds but Cat6 cables are considered a better choice.

The author has experience in Ethernet Cable and Ethernet Cable 30m

How To Connect Your Computer To Your TV to Watch Online Content

jaysmyth — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

With so much television now available from online streaming you can see why people want to connect the computer to the television. Many broadcasters offer online content with large companies like the BBC in the UK offering it’s iPlayer online. With BBC iPlayer you can scroll through the previous weeks television programs and watch the content online. The only downside is the size of you computer monitor. many people do not like watching television on a computer screen. The perfect solution is to connect the computer to the TV. But just how easy is it to connect your PC to your TV to view content on a larger screen. Well the answer is, it’s not too difficult. It all depends on the connections you have on the TV and PC. The easiest and most straight forward way is by using a HDMI cable, however not all computers have HDMI capability. The other option for laptop to tv is to use a VGA cable and a separate audio cable.

The simplest method for computer to TV connection is with the use of a HDMI cable. These cables carry both audio and video, you can simply plug the cable from the computer to the TV. Almost every modern television has High Definition Multimedia Interface sockets known as HDMI. A common problem with this method is that many computers are not supplied with HDMI sockets. You can buy a HDMI add on card for both a laptop and desktop tv, this then gives your computer a HDMI socket. These add on cards cost around twenty five pounds in the UK.

Unfortunately if your laptop or desktop computer does not have HDMI there is no single laptop to TV cable. You will need to use a VGA monitor cable. Your computer should have a 15 pin socket which consists of three rows of five holes. Many modern flat screen televisions also have this type of socket, it’s often labeled “PC IN”. As VGA does not carry audio you will need a separate cable for sound. you can use the headphone socket on the computer and connect that to the “Aux In” socket on the television. It’s important to select the correct channel on the TV, this is usually “PC IN”. You may need to restart the computer after you have connected the computer to TV cable. A computer to tv cable kit will cost from ten pounds in the United Kingdom. This price is dependent on length required and the quality of the cables used.

The author has experience in PC To TV and Laptop To TV

USB Cables – An Insight Into USB

jaysmyth — Thu, 01 Jan 1970 00:00:00 +0000

USB (Universal Serial Bus) is the computer industry’s standard for connecting devices. It was developed in the mid 90′s. The first version of was USB 1.0, which was quickly upgraded to usb 1.1, this had data transfer speeds of 12 Mega bits per second. However this was too slow for some devices and a faster version V2.0 was released in 2000. This much faster version 2.0 offered speeds of 480 Mbps. In 2010 the first devices began to be launched with the new version 3.0 known as super speed. This as the name suggest boasts super fast speeds of which can reach 5 Giga bits per second.

The maximum length a USB cable can be used depends on the version. The older versions up to version 2.0 can only be used up to 5 meters long. Version 3.0 can’t exceed 3 meters. The limit in length is down to the loss of signal as the information passes over the cable. You can get around this by using amplified repeater cables. These have built in amplifiers that re build the signal and give it more power to pass along the cable. Repeaters are available in lengths up to 30 meters. Some of the longer repeater cables also have the ability to add extra power using a mains power adaptor.

USB A is by far the most common plug as it is used on computers to attach a device. USB B is probably the second most common type, it’s used on printers, scanners and hard drives. Mini B and micro B are the next most commonly used connectors. Mini and Micro cables are often used on portable devices such as camera’s, mp3 players and portable hard drives where the small size is useful for keeping the device compact. Many manufacturers develop their own type of mini connector when they design new devices. Indeed many of the camera manufacturers have their own version of Mini USB. This can prove quite tricky when it comes to replacing a lost or damaged lead.

You don’t need to spend a small fortune buying your device manufacturers own brand cable if you need a replacement. There are many independent manufacturers making replacement device cables. A great way of saving money is by purchasing online. There are many websites specializing in computer peripherals such as cables and power supplies. Expect to pay around three pounds in the UK or five dollars US.

The author has experience in Mini USB Cable and Micro USB Cable