Wow are we excited about this new server 2008 version! After much testing in house, as soon as Windows 7 was released, we have been giving it the green light and rolling it out to customers sites. So far the feedback is better than expected with customers straight away, wanting to change the whole office into Windows 7! With Windows 2008 Server R2 being based on the same Windows NT 6.1 core, it can only mean one thing!

So what does Windows Server 2008 R2 mean for you as a customer?

Direct Access

We are big believers of Outlook over HTTP! There is nothing easier, when a mobile worker can just connect to an internet connection and open outlook straight off to receive emails securely. For some countries who block VPN due to web censoring , this sometimes is the only way! Direct Access brings this technology to everything else you connect to the server with , mainly file access. This means no more VPN’s , which means direct out the box file access and secure authentication with Windows 7

Terminal Server

Service 2008 R2 handling of remote sessions is getting better than ever. Not only can it stream live Windows Media Player through the connection , you can also record audio off a remote desktop connection! The same technology enables utilisation of the Windows Aero Theme through RDP enabling a seamless RDP Intergration with the users Desktop. It also supports Dual Monitors for the first time with Windows 7 and  RDP 7

Branch Office Cache

If you are like many of our customers , then you might have different branches your workforce work from. The need to collaborate files can always seem slow as they are based out of a main office usually with only a 2mb leased line. Thanks to Branch Office Cache, files that are accessed once from a branch office , will be cached on the server, so the next time the file needs to be accessed again , it will be instant. This caching can cache HTTP (e.g. Sharepoint) or SMB ( Normal File Access )

A client who has a video editing studio came to us with a problem. Their need for content had risen dramatically due to Social Networking sites such as YouTube , Facebook and MySpace. This means they were making even more content to keep up with demand, however with this generation they where finding problems with their existing setup. They were using a Mac for the editing , creation and then backup of material. The Mac had only come with 1Terabyte of Storage so they had to purchase external usb drives to archive data off until they archived it onto tape. When data needed to be archived off onto tape this added strain to the Mac and the machine couldn’t be used for editing. The Mac Software also did not utilise backup appending to media which means tape archiving was getting difficult to manage.

To resolve this issue we installed a Fully Redundant Drobo Elite with a 7 Terabyte Array ( 1 Terabyte for Redundancy) . This is dynamically growable to 13 Terabytes when the Client runs out of space. This Drobo Elite is connected to the Mac and another Windows 2008 Server machine with Backup Exec using an NTFS Share via a 1 Gigabyte iSCSI network. So far the results have proved amazing. Uncompressed High Definition Video can be streamed directly from the Drobo to the Mac for Editing, and the Windows Machine can backup the contents to Tape without reducing the Mac’s performance for Video Editing.

Response IT was selected as the IT supplier to the Bahrain Air show following their work as IT supplier to the show’s organiser Farnborough International Ltd (FIL) over the past four years.

Bahrain International Airshow (BIAS) to be held from January 21 to 23, which will begin under the patronage of His Majesty King Hamad, is being organised by Bahrain Civil Aviation Affairs and Farnborough International.

Andy Coulson, Head of Operations for Farnborough International said: “It’s vital given the size and reputation of the Bahrain Air show that exhibitors and the organising team have access to first-class IT services with excellent technical back-up that they can rely on. Response IT understood perfectly the needs of the show and provided a solution to meet them.
Around 40,000 visitors from all over the world are also expected to visit the show. The 160 sq m air-conditioned chalets will house the participating companies and be fully-fitted to host 40 executive clients per day.

During the seven day event Response-IT will support Farnborough International staff and their exhibitors from 35 countries

Simon Rafferty, Managing Director of Response IT commented: “Following our continued work with Farnborough International Ltd, we are delighted to have been appointed as the official IT supplier to the Bahrain International Airshow.”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

* Response IT was formed in 1999 by Simon Rafferty, a former Avionics and Radar Technician in the Royal Navy. Simon has worked in the City as a network engineer for Barclays Capital, Credit Suisse First Boston and Morgan Stanley.

* Response IT is a Microsoft Certified Partner and Microsoft Small Business Specialist.

Below please find the timetable of our scheduled opening times for Christmas and New Year

We would also like to take this time to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year  and look forward to your future business in the new year!

We are pleased to annouce a whole new line of Response IT Company Clothing to go with our new Re branding. Theres more action planned so keep your eyes peeled on our website in the new year or subscribe to our email notifications on the left hand side here ->

We would like to thank our designers Big Pond Design who continue to do an outstanding job for us and our clients , in meeting their design needs!

ADSL2 guidelines

At Response-IT we are proud to be announcing the automatic migration of all our it support customers to BT’s 21st Century Network ( 21CN ) for Free!

How Will I Benefit from 21CN?

At the moment most business lines utilise ADSL1 Technology which has a maximum throughput of 8mb Down and around 0.5mb Up. The 21CN roll-out utilises ADSL2+ technology increasing your maximum speed to 24mb Down and up to 1.3mb up.

How fast will these new services be?

The new services will provide download speeds of “up to 20Mbps” and upload speeds of “up to 1Mbps”. The speed you can expect to receive will depend on the following factors:

1. The distance you are from the local BT exchange
2. The quality of wiring from the BT exchange to your premises
3. The internal wiring within your premises and interference with any other electrical equipment within your premises

Customers less than 3km from the local BT exchange will see the biggest improvement in speeds.  (It is estimated that the average download speed will increase by 35%.)

You Can Find out how far you are from your telephone exchange here : http://www.samknows.com/broadband/search.php

What will change to my Service?

Nothing , you are still with our normal SLA’s

* 1 working hour fault response time
* 20 working hour fault resolution time
* 1 month minimum contract
* Fast Provisioning

Let Us Know If We can Help you join this network!

At Response-IT we are always looking into the new technologies to help our existing clients add value and save costs. A Small Business wanted to update their existing Small Business Server and Terminal Server hardware with as little distruption to the office as possible.

We proposed the solution of one high spec server with high redundancy to replace both of these servers as well the migration of another Galileo computer reservations system they had on another separate computer. Using VMwares’s Free ESXi virtualized operating system and converters, we where able to migrate both Servers and computer overnight to Virtual Machines and power them up to continue normal operations.

This now gives the customer reduced overhead on hardware maintenance contracts as well as giving them a flexible disaster recovery solution using VMwares Snapshot solution

You would undoubtedly be a more efficient user with these shortcuts  – difficulty is remembering them all! So here is a short compilation… More Windows 7 resources:  Wndows 7 Ultimate Guide UK Software,  UK Books US Software, US Books

Firstly, where Win is written in this text, please use the Windows Key:

Windows 7 Keyboard Shortcuts:

Win +Home: Clear all but the active window.

Win+Space: All windows become transparent so you can see through to the desktop.

Win+Up arrow: Maximize the active window.

Shift+Win+Up arrow: Maximize the active window vertically.

Win+Down arrow: Minimize the window/Restore the window if it’s maximized.

Win+Left/Right arrows: Dock the window to each side of the monitor.

Shift+Win+Left/Right arrows: Move the window to the monitor on the left or right.

You can also interact with windows by dragging them with the mouse:

Drag window to the top: Maximize

Drag window left/right: Dock the window to fill half of the screen.

Shake window back/forth: Minimize everything but the current window.

Double-Click Top Window Border (edge): Maximize window vertically.

Taskbar Shortcuts:

Win+number (1-9): Starts the application pinned to the taskbar in that position, or switches to that program.

Shift+Win+number (1-9): Starts a new instance of the application pinned to the taskbar in that position.

Ctrl+Win+number (1-9): Cycles through open windows for the application pinned to the taskbar in that position.

Alt+Win+number (1-9): Opens the Jump List for the application pinned to the taskbar.

Win+T: Focus and scroll through items on the taskbar.

Win+B: Focuses the System Tray icons

Here’s a few more interesting hotkeys for you:

Ctrl+Shift+N: Creates a new folder in Windows Explorer.

Alt+Up: Goes up a folder level in Windows Explorer.

Alt+P: Toggles the preview pane in Windows Explorer.

Shift+Right-Click on a file: Adds Copy as Path, which copies the path of a file to the clipboard.

Shift+Right-Click on a file: Adds extra hidden items to the Send To menu.

Shift+Right-Click on a folder: Adds Command Prompt Here, which lets you easily open a command prompt in that folder.

Win+P: Adjust presentation settings for your display.

Win+(+/-): Zoom in/out.

Win+G: Cycle between the Windows Gadgets on your screen.

Win+L: Lock your workstation

Win+D: Display the desktop

Win+Spacebar: Preview desktop

Win+M: Minimize all windows

Win+Shift+M: Maximize all windows

Win+E: Open Computer

Win+F: Search

Win+R: Run dialog

Win+Home: Minimize all but active window

This list is in no way definitive, so if you discover a new shortcut, please do leave a comment…

Windows 7 resources

Windows 7 Ultimate Guide

Discover over 50 different things you can do to improve your experience with Windows 7. Inside this valuable book, you will discover how to “Master” most Windows 7’s secrets! Answers to your questions, fix the things that bother you.

What you will discover in the book -

* How to install Windows 7 and not make the usual mistakes.
* Find out why a clean installation is better than an Upgrade.
* Why those pretty backgrounds slow your computer to a crawl.
* How to make Windows 7 work your way
* The hidden aspects of the Control Panel.
* How to use the Repair Computer function when you have a problem
* Why you need more than one restore point
* Why did Microsoft make it hard for you to change things and leave a LOT of open backdoors for the hackers? Plus what to do about it!
* Why you should take backup seriously and make the Recovery CD!

Click her to find out more and order your copy of this great book – it comes with a 100% refund guarantee so you can make sure it is really providing value for you. Instant download so you can benefit straight away.

Windows 7 Software from Amazon UK

Windows 7 Books from Amazon UK

Windows 7 Software from Amazon USA

Windows 7 Books from Amazon USA

Blackberry ( By Resarch in Motion ) has released out a product for Small to Medium Business we would like to share with you.  It’s called
Blackberry Professional Express Software which enables:

• Wireless access via your BlackBerry® smartphone to your corporate email, data, organizer and more
  • Full wireless synchronization of email
  • Two-way wireless calendar synchronization
  • Two-way address book synchronization
  • Web-based instant messaging
  • Phone
  • Browser
• Advanced security features, including end-to-end encryption and behind-the-firewall integration with your corporate email platform
• One complimentary BlackBerry support incident that can be used to access BlackBerry Technical Support should you require assistance

This eliminates the need for Blackberry Internet Services ( with only one way email syncing ) and the need to then use Blackberry Desktop Manager for manually Syncing of Contacts and Calendars through a USB cable

Due to the fact that Small to Medium Business don’t want to invest in a new server equipment and up to £2000 for a Blackberry Enterprise Licenses , they can now download BlackBerry Enterprise Server Express , which will give them 1 Free User Cal to start up with , and support up to 14 Users. This software can also be installed directly onto a Small Business Server without the need to invest in new hardware. After your 1 Free User Cal is up , Extra User Licenses cost £40 a Year

Contact Us For Support and Advice on your blackberry needs

Speed up your broadband by eliminating interference from your extension wiring

Did you know the telephone extension wiring in your house can pick up all sorts of electrical noise and interference from TV’s, lights and other everyday electrical equipment? This interference can affect your broadband signal resulting in a slower broadband speed.

“We estimate that around nine million UK homes have the potential to benefit from installing this simple but effective device,” BT said.

Try our quick and affordable solution

Help is at hand! BT has developed the I-Plate, a unique filter that helps stop any interference affecting the broadband signal. As long as you have a suitable BT Master socket, (see below) and extension wiring (see below) the I-Plate can help. It’s quick and easy to fit with a screwdriver and you don’t need to disconnect any wires.

How much could my speed improve by?

In previous tests the I-Plate has been shown to boost line speeds – typically by 1.5Mbps. The actual change will vary from house to house. Although speed improvements are likely, they can’t be guaranteed. The improvements in speed will take up to 2 weeks to come through so that line stability is not affected. Even if it doesn’t improve the speed the I-Plate can help stabilise your broadband line making it more reliable.

BT I-Plate – Will it work for you?

1. Do you have extension wiring?

Extension wiring is the telephone wiring, usually a small white cable, which often runs along your skirting boards or outside your house. It connects the main socket to any extension sockets you have. It doesn’t matter if you use the sockets or not, as long as the wiring is there the I-Plate may help.

2. Do you have a master telephone socket with a horizontal line across the front? The I-Plate is NOT suitable if:

• your socket has a horizontal line, but also an Openreach logo on it – this socket has an I-Plate filter built in.
• your socket doesn’t have a horizontal line across the front
• your socket has two connection points – for telephone and DSL

A user here has found an extreme method or manually removing the bell wire all together although we don’t recommend this, as it could leave you with a BT Repair Bill

Get yours here now , and see how much faster you can get!