Talk About IT #8

AUTUMN 2019

ARE YOUR PEOPLE

GAMBLING WITH YOUR COMPANY’S SECURITY?

CLOUD REPATRIATION • PASSWORD SECURITY • POWERSTART

Threat notification isn’t a solution. It’s a starting point.

Sophos Managed Threat Response (MTR) goes beyond ordinary managed detection and response services. Where others simply notify you of an event, Sophos MTR’s elite team of threat hunters and response experts take targeted action on your behalf to disrupt, contain, and neutralize even the most sophisticated cyber threats – so you don’t have to.

2 |© Copyright Talk2019.About IT Sophos Ltd. All rights reserved. Registered in England and Wales No. 2096520, The Pentagon, Abingdon Science Park, Abingdon, OX14 3YP, UK. Sophos is the registered trademark of Sophos Ltd.

191010 (DD)

www.sophos.com/edr

Contents 04

Latest news

06

Is cloud cost out of control?

We look at ways to optimise and manage cloud costs

08

The changing face of managed service An interview with Kirsty Harvey

09

Arrivals: Jason Charles

10

PowerStart for sales CRM How businesses can unlock a wealth of exciting opportunities contained in their data

12

Are your people gambling with your company’s security Protect your business by showing how to create and maintain effective passwords

15

Cloud adoption by stealth Who is making the call on cloud within your organisation?

16

When the difference is small, trust your instinct The trust equation can help you make the right decisions

17

Shortcuts for Microsoft Office apps Useful keyboard shortcuts to save you time

18

It’s okay to ask your MSP awkward questions Key technology and business trends that you should consider when working with a Managed Service Provider

20

Making sense of unified communications The final part in our A-Z of terms used in the world of telecommunications

21

Cloud isn’t always the answer Why on-premise or a hybrid mix of clouds might be the best answer

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Quiss People

22

Book review Small Giants and why you can be successful without expanding your business

24

Technology made simple - Blockchain Why multiple distributed copies delivers an unbreakable security

25

Clients in the spotlight: Taylor Walton LLP

26

FMD: How it will work The Falsified Medicines Directive and the technology at its heart

Gold Cloud Productivity Gold Cloud Platform Gold Datacenter

06

08

15

16

26

Sophos Gold Partner

Cert No. 1330 ISO 9001:2008 ISO 27001:2013

Quiss Technology plc.

Claymore Tame Valley Industrial Estate Tamworth, B77 5DQ

Quiss Technology has been delivering IT support services since we were founded in 1988; the early years of the information technology revolution.

To discuss content or to be part of our next edition, please contact the head of marketing, David Ricketts.

QuissTechPLC Quiss Technology plc

Talk About IT | 3

We live in interesting times The title alludes to a reportedly ancient Chinese expression, ‘may you live in interesting times’, which rather than a hope for a life full of exciting developments, is in fact a curse. It implies that the person uttering the curse hopes your life is full of much disorder and trouble.

However, it’s not just law firms that understand the difference Quiss make to helping them exploit technology for efficiency and productivity gains as we welcome aboard IFF Research, one of the research industry’s leading players.

Whilst the origins of the curse may be unclear, it now seems particularly apt given the ongoing Brexit uncertainty, with almost every facet of life in the UK appearing to be feeling the impact; real and perceived.

Over recent months, we have invested significant time, money and effort into improving the service we deliver to all our clients. We understand the quality of our service is not judged by the business we win, but by the business we retain – it proves we follow through on our promises.

In our world, there is also a feeling of constant change. No sooner has the world decided that Public Cloud is the solution to all its problems and challenges than we discover many organisations are repatriating data to private cloud and even on-premise solutions.

Our experience and unrivalled knowledge of the unique challenges faced by the legal sector, ensured we witnessed a number of current law firm clients agreeing new contracts, with Bates Wells and Braithwaite, Mackrell Turner Garratt and Mackrell all signing on the dotted line.

Our approach has always been that any solution we recommend for a client has to be right for their business and if that means leaving it on-premise and integrating private cloud services, then that’s what we do – what’s right, not what’s easy.

I hope this latest magazine proves of interest to you and helps you recognise that living in interesting times need not be a curse, particularly if Quiss are managing technology for you. But if there is anything specific you would like us to cover, let me know as I have a degree of editorial control!

It’s a message that seems to be resonating with clients and prospects alike, as we continue to grow and welcome new businesses to our roster - law firms Taylor Walton and Barcan+Kirby, ensure we retain our position as one of the UK’s leading providers of IT services to the legal sector.

IFF Research contracts Quiss Technology for IT support

Andy Michael Managing Director

commented: “Whilst perhaps best-known for our support in the legal sector, it is gratifying that our reputation for delivering high quality managed services is attracting organisations of the calibre of IFF Research.

Managed service provider Quiss Technology has been appointed

by IFF Research, one of the research industry’s leading players, to deliver IT hardware and software support services for the firm’s central London office.

“Importantly, the Works Flex solution we have tailored for IFF Research not only delivers the operational management they need, but the simple pricing model makes it easy to understand and scale for future growth; we ensure no nasty surprises.

IFF Research has a proven track record of delivering highquality strategic research for a wide range of organisations across the public and private sectors, relying on a team of 100 industry professionals, responsible for providing bespoke research solutions.

“The initial audit of the existing network infrastructure we undertake, allows us to understand the essential work and required equipment to ensure the network operates optimally – it’s never easy taking over the management of IT infrastructure, but we do it so often, it’s second nature to our team.

Matt Rhodes, Head of Commercial Services at Quiss Technology

“Our comprehensive solution, set to start in September, not

4 | Talk About IT

TAYLOR WALTON LLP APPOINTS QUISS TO MANAGE IT SERVICES Following a competitive tender, law firm Taylor Walton has appointed IT managed service provider Quiss Technology, to support the firm’s ongoing digital transformation project.

Taylor Walton provides a range of legal services for both businesses and individuals in public and private sectors, with more than 150 committed professionals spread across the firm’s three offices in St Albans, Luton and Harpenden.

Nick Hayne, Head of Professional Services at Quiss Technology commented: “Like so many successful law firms, Taylor Walton uses a range of solutions providers to manage and maintain their IT resources, supported by a small in-house IT team.

“Whilst cloud is very much the only answer for many service providers, our ability to deliver the solution that suits each client, rather than what’s easiest for the service provider, gives us an advantage in competitive pitches “In this case, our technical teams worked hard to understand how best to integrate cloud and on-premise solutions to deliver a more streamlined,

efficient IT service for Taylor Walton.

support from their UK-based helpdesk.

“Many of the current solutions have their own support functions, but our vast experience of the legal sector and its myriad applications ensures we can offer a more comprehensive and consolidated solution with our Works managed service.

Dermot Carey, Taylor Walton LLP Managing Partner, said of the appointment: “Quiss came highly recommended for their experience supporting law firms of our size and we were keen for them to be part of the tender process.

“To meet our future plans, it was important to appoint a firm that has the resources needed to work with our current on-premise solutions, while supporting our digital transformation journey and integrating cloud resources as necessary.

“There is often a degree of technology creep in any business, but we are confident we will deliver a more effective and efficient IT ecosystem that will help Taylor Walton connect and collaborate more closely with its clients.”

Taylor Walton is the latest addition to Quiss’ roster of legal sector clients, with the company supporting many thousands of users across the country through a simple, comprehensive managed service solution providing guaranteed service levels and unlimited

“Clients expect more from their legal advisers these days and an effective, secure IT environment will ensure our people have access to the information and systems they need to continue delivering the excellent client service for which Taylor Walton is renowned.

“Having access to the 35-strong helpdesk team at Quiss offers a greater confidence for all of our people that any issues they encounter with any of the applications or systems they use will be resolved quickly and with minimal user downtime.”

only supports the current IT needs of the business, but is easily scaled to allow for the future growth outlined in their strategic plans.

“Our new partnership leaves us safe in the knowledge we have a single point of contact for all our IT requirements, to ensure the seamless, problem-free work environment we need.”

Jan Shury, Managing Director of IFF Research commented: “As a people-focused business one of our key priorities is ensuring our people are well supported and have the tools to do their jobs effectively.

IFF Research is the latest high-profile client to join a growing number of managed service clients, with more than 6000 individual users now supported by Quiss’ 130-strong team, which includes helpdesk engineers and systems specialists, backed by a team of mobile engineers.

“This is increasingly important as our team grows, so we can continue to attract and retain the best people to work with us.

“The solution offered by Quiss enables us to support our team and focus on delivering high quality insights and responsive service to our clients.

Rhodes concludes: “Attracting new clients like IFF Research confirms our determination to deliver what’s right for the client, rather than what’s easy for us, is the right strategy for Quiss and an approach that ensures longevity of the relationships with build with each client.

Talk About IT | 5

Is cloud cost out of control?

Recent reports indicate cloud cost control is becoming a major issue for businesses. Focussed on moving storage and compute quickly to the Cloud, drawn in by attractive pricing created by competition between providers, many businesses are now surprised at the spiralling cost.

Despite a determination to cut infrastructure expenses, spending on public cloud is now a significant slice of corporate IT budgets and it is the on-demand nature of its supply that is causing the problems. Three particular cloud characteristics are chiefly responsible for the waste:

1

Cloud pricing complexity

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What began as a simple pricing model has developed a plethora of options, with few understanding the cost implications of all the choices made. Instances can vary in price depending where they run, or whether they are the newest version and choosing the wrong storage class can add real cost too.

6 | Talk About IT

Instance size matters

3

Provisioning instances and sizes correctly requires experience of cloud environments. Migrating from on-premise, an organisation must first understand how they are truly utilising each workload to accurately evaluate cloud options, or typically they will overprovision and that’s hard to overcome.

Cost implication transparency When provisioning, resource owners rarely understand the full cost implication of running their applications in the cloud. On first consideration the hourly cost for instances may look inexpensive, but when overprovisioned and running for a year (8760 hours), it’s easy to lose control of the costs.

Optimising and Managing your Cloud Costs When utilising public cloud, it is essential businesses reduce waste and the associated cost, which globally has been calculated to run into billions of dollars. They need to adopt cloud cost optimisation best practices to reap the full benefits and here we highlight a few of the best.

Identify Unused or Unattached Resources Finding and removing unused or unattached resources you are being charged for, is the easiest win in the optimisation game. Typical examples include forgetting to turn off the temporary server used for a particular function, or when terminating instances, forgetting to remove the attached storage.

Combine Resources Combining computing jobs into fewer instances will avoid being charged full price for an idle instance with a low CPU utilisation level. Low utilisation is now a thing of the past thanks to the ability of the cloud to allow you to scale up your computing power at any time to meet an increase in demand.

Right Size Computing Application owners will typically over-provision as they try to avoid resource shortages that can impact performance. Moving on-premise hosted apps to the cloud, owners

will often just replicate their existing VM resource allocations, without first calculating the resources the app actually needs.

Reserved Instances If your future is committed to the cloud, then you should seriously consider reserved instances (RI).

Signing up for one or three years you can save up to 72% with RI against just pay-as-you-go pricing, but combining the two will help manage costs across predictable and variable workloads.

Azure Low Priority Virtual Machines Azure low priority VM are compute instances allocated from a date centre’s spare capacity and they are offered at a highly discounted rate compared to on demand services.

Bidding for these for the right workloads can deliver serious cost savings, but you will lose them if someone bids higher.

Do not hoard data Keeping every file your business has ever created is no problem on your local machines, but in the cloud it all adds up to real costs; real ongoing monthly cost whether you access that data or not. Consider storage and choose the most appropriate type that balances functionality and cost.

Multi or single cloud Multi-cloud options help avoid vendor lock-in, a laudable outcome, but whilst you might improve availability and uptime, you risk missing out on the potential volume discounts offered by a single cloud vendor. And you must also consider the cost of traffic between clouds and additional training.

Doing nothing is not an option Hopefully, the best practices outlined above will help you optimise and manage the ongoing cost of your cloud services. But it’s important to remember that the cost-savings you were promised by moving storage and compute to the cloud is possible if you manage it carefully.

If you take the promise at face value and ignore the underlying need to look closely at your current usage and requirements, the potential spiralling costs of cloud will not only surprise you, but risk you having to curtail your future activities.

Which optimisation strategy you choose is largely unimportant, as long as you do something. And if you are not sure what approach will best get your costs under control, we are only a call or an email away, ready to offer you the benefit of our years of experience and undoubted cloud expertise.

Talk About IT | 7

The changing face of managed service An interview with Kirsty Harvey, Associate Systems Specialist at Quiss Technology

Had you always wanted a career in IT? No not really. I don’t want to say I fell into it by accident, but in one of my first jobs for a mail order business, maintaining the website became part of my responsibility and it just seemed to spark my interest.

My next job was working for a small managed service provider where I was mentored in a service helpdesk role and started to get to grips with Microsoft Exchange and Active Directory, along with all the other Microsoft apps you’d expect.

What was your first role at Quiss?

I joined in April 2016 as a 1st line technician on the service helpdesk, one of around 20 at the time. It was a fast-paced environment, with a lot to learn and not just the Microsoft basics, but the clients’ applications too and how they work as part of a comprehensive IT environment.

At Quiss we develop a knowledge base for every client, accessible by all the service technicians. The way systems interact and work with bespoke applications ensure that while some issues are common to all clients, most have an aspect unique to each client, particularly with recurring matters.

Having to hand a note of any issues and the remedial action needed, makes for a much quicker fix and a happy client who can get on with their work again; that’s what really counts.

How long where you on the frontline?

After three months I was seconded to the 2nd line team, to deal with the more complex, unusual or just plain weird issues passed on by the 1st line team.

We would work in teams, dealing with issues for particular clients. This arrangement gave us a better understanding of each client, their people, their challenges, their systems and the unique third-party apps that underpinned

8 | Talk About IT

their activities, all of which helped us deliver better solutions, quicker.

a new world of applications management and learning.

What did your career progression look like?

When any of our clients new or existing requires a hardware fresh we spend the days preparing for these rollouts both the theory and practical to ensure we meet the project deadline

Quiss are very good and offer all the support anyone needs to make the most of themselves, but there is a lot to learn and exams to pass to reach the next step on the ladder. I was part of the 2nd line team for two years, which offered me a deeper understanding of each of the clients I cared for.

We could spend days sometimes trying to discover the most effective solution to a problem, always documenting every step to ensure should anything similar happen again or occur with another client, the solution would be achieved much quicker.

Is the learning structured across the technical teams?

Within the teams, there is a culture of support, recognising that there are no daft questions.

If I need help, typically someone on the team has been there before and asked their mentor the self-same question.

We attend regular internal learning workshops, where one of the technical team with a particular expertise in a subject like Azure, will explain all about in more detail.

The important take-away from those informal meetings was not just a better understanding, but knowing what to look out for and if there are any known issues with how the app or technology interacts with certain third-party applications, like case management systems for our many legal sector clients.

What does the role of Associate Systems Specialist entail?

My promotion to the technical services team in January of this year has introduced me to

The role is more than workstation refreshes; we have other projects that arise such as upgrading MS Office to the latest versions, rolling out new software or software upgrades using Group Policy, supporting the service desk and on occasion dealing with escalations from an internal source as well as client escalations.

Each of the team tends to specialise in a thirdparty application commonly used by clients, like Sophos security or Peppermint’s UK legal practice & case management software, which was my area of expertise on the service desk.

Do you enjoy the hands-on aspect of your role?

When we win a new client we have a lot of background tasks to complete before we can start to create them a gold image, this ranges from a software and hardware reports using Lansweeper to ascertain what they are already working with to liaising with third party vendors. We build very good business relationships with the third parties to ensure we deliver their new solution with confidence.

The practical side of the role begins with configuring a server with the tools to allow us to capture and deploy a gold image to all of the desktops and laptops, we then move on to creating a base image using a standard Win 10 OS, installing corporate applications that are used firm wide and configuring the PC. We utilise Group Policy to configure an array of settings like security using Bitlocker and Windows Updates to mention a couple.

We then offer the client a UAT period to certify the system with respect to the requirements that was agreed upon.

Arrivals:

JASON CHARLES We then move on to capturing an image of that PC and this becomes our “gold build”, the template for all workstations that are being deployed. We then have to apply this image to all of workstations using PXE boot.

I recently completed my first solo workstation refresh for one of our new clients and the feedback from the client and internally at Quiss was positive. This was a big step for me and shows the confidence Quiss instil in all the team.

What’s the next step in your career?

Obviously the next step is to lose the associate and become a Systems Specialist, which relies on my gaining more experience and passing exams in Office 365 and Azure disciplines, to go with my MCSA Server 2012.

I am eager to develop on my current skills, but I also want to embrace newer technologies so that we are always offering the clients the best solution for them. I am looking to start my next phase of exams starting with Modern Desktop and Microsoft 365.

Naturally I only see my future here at Quiss, which is a really supportive environment in which to learn. Even with all the recent growth and new people, there’s still a real family feel, which trickles down right from the top, with our MD Andy Michael always around and ready for a bit of a laugh.

And finally, what is the most enduring challenge at Quiss?

There’s only one answer to that question and it’s parking! When I started in 2016 it seemed we had a big car park, but in the last three years we have added around 60 people to the teams, from helpdesk and technical teams to sales and logistics, ensuring we now have 130 or more cars all hoping to find a space.

But to be honest, given the support and career progression available here at Quiss, I know everyone is happy to struggle with the parking and grow with the business.

Hi, my name is Jason Charles and I’m Head of Service Operations here at Quiss.

I lead the Customer Service team, who work hard to ensure every client experience is first class, every time they interact with our support services.

Our first-line helpdesk team deliver an excellent first-fix rate, demonstrating the value of our investment in their ongoing training to meet the changing needs of our clients.

The escalation process is equally good, but my role is about identifying and implementing the small changes we need to ensure a good service becomes a great service.

And this is where my natural ability to mentor and coach the people I manage comes into effect, ensuring everyone at Quiss thrives, which helps them deliver the great service our clients expect.

In my previous roles I have always demonstrated an ability to reduce operating costs by providing pragmatic, sustainable and commercially focused services and solutions – all part of the ongoing drive within the business to deliver more cost-effective solutions for our clients.

I’m a qualified ITIL practitioner, certified in IT Operations, Service Strategy and Service Design, all of which ensures we continue to align our

own IT services with the needs of our growing business.

I understand the drivers behind the changes our clients are looking to make to their IT systems and infrastructure to improve efficiency and productivity, regardless of their size or the sector in which they operate – we’re all about the client.

Joining Quiss affords me the opportunity to demonstrate my ability to manage contracts, transitions and projects, ensuring consistency throughout every aspect of the service, whilst delivering new services into fast-paced and technically challenging secure environments.

Given my experience in in delivering IT services, it was a surprise for my colleagues to learn of my BSc (hons) in Biomedical Sciences and my early working life as a forensic casework assistant and DNA Database Team Leader for the Forensic Science Service.

Away from the office, I enjoy nothing more than a spot of scuba diving and expanding on my mentoring nature, I’m also a PADI Dive Master. Out of the water I love all things science fiction, particularly the imagined new technology.

Talk About IT | 9

With the deadline for Brexit fast approaching, businesses are doing what they can to prepare for the unknown challenges that lie ahead.

There is still no indication as to whether the UK will leave with a deal and this growing uncertainty means businesses must work quickly to review their existing technology, looking for ways to boost productivity and mitigate potential risks.

Whether it’s moving operations to the cloud or investing in technology capable of transforming information into insights, there are plenty of opportunities for businesses to explore.

Understanding the opportunities There is often a misconception that solutions are overly technical, complicated to use and require significant financial investment to implement.

However, by leveraging the power of various applications, businesses can unlock a wealth of exciting opportunities, whether it’s streamlining sales management processes or improving customer service and profitability.

Integration is the key to success – instead of relying solely on one specific offering, organisations should look to combine a selection of services in order to deliver maximum value.

For example, if there is a demand for data analytics, but an understanding that app development is a complicated and time-consuming process, then a solution that utilises both Microsoft’s Power BI and PowerApps would offer much greater value to clients than a single service solution.

Microsoft Power Platform

to perform important tasks, such as compiling data into interactive reports to spot emerging trends.

Instead of spending significant time and resources developing apps, users can create them with ease, using Microsoft Flow to transfer important data between systems, while utilising Power BI to display important insights.

PowerStart for Sales CRM Before a solution can be delivered, it is crucial that time is taken to understand the unique needs of our clients – every action needs to have a purpose.

Using our own industry knowledge and expertise, we have successfully integrated an effective CRM solution with Microsoft Office 365, Dynamics and Power Platform, providing businesses with a multi-service solution that leverages the wider cloud platform.

PowerStart for Sales CRM gives businesses the tools needed to manage interactions with clients and potential customers, automating tasks and digitising processes to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of customer relationship management.

Integrating with the Power Platform, the solution enables the end-to-end management of company data, with Dynamics, Power BI, PowerApps and Flow working together to enhance key aspects, such as pipeline management, proactive sales, stage notifications, proposals and commission tracking.

Instead of collecting and storing masses of data without a strategy, PowerStart for Sales CRM allows you to transform information into important insights, improving overall business growth.

Described as a powerful business application platform, Power Platform understands the importance of integration, effectively combining Power BI, PowerApps and Microsoft Flow to provide services for business intelligence, app development and app connectivity.

The core of the solution

Giving businesses the opportunity to customise cloud products, the platform allows customers to extract deepening value out of its existing Microsoft investment, accessing three dynamic components as one masterful service.

In our eyes, the core of any effective solution must be reliable, which is why Microsoft Dynamics 365 has been trusted as the core of PowerStart, responsible for recording the most important data, including leads, customers, contacts and sales opportunities.

Not just aimed at technically savvy developers, Power Platform gives those with very basic technical knowledge the opportunity

We understand that moving to a new CRM solution can be confusing, as there are various available options all offering different features.

The highly customisable solution will organise your company

PowerStart for Sales CRM Transforming information into insights 10 | Talk About IT

data, providing users with a complete record of individuals, companies and deals, allowing you to better understand important interactions in more detail.

These documents are then stored securely, giving workers easy access to information should it be needed for further analysis.

Forging lasting relationships While Dynamics 365 may be the core of the solution, forging lasting relationships and keeping track of customers is at the heart of it.

Ensuring the happiness of key prospects by delivering a fast and responsive service is crucial for customer acquisition and retention, so we’ve designed the solution to help businesses achieve this.

Designed with a simple, customisable dashboard, the solution allows you to see everything in one place, which makes it easier to monitor ongoing customer relationships and future business opportunities.

Combined with other key features and services, PowerStart for Sales CRM gives businesses all the tools needed to manage opportunities and gain clear performance enhancing insights.

The strategy for success…

Finding the right CRM solution can be a difficult task for businesses, with uncertainty surrounding which apps and features are needed to deliver the best results.

In our experience, most of our clients want guidance rather than choice, as they rely on our expertise and judgment to help them identify a solution that meets the unique needs of their business.

PowerStart for Sales CRM understands this and has been designed to offer new users a well-rounded starting experience, capable of processing information and managing new opportunities.

Affordable, easy-to-use and highly customisable, PowerStart solutions can be implemented without disruption to daily operations and tailored to meet individual requirements.

Don’t let data get away from you – use an effective multi-service solution to secure a successful future for your business.

For more information, visit circyl.co.uk or get in touch Talk About IT | 11

PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS ... by prioritising password security With so much publicity given to serious data breaches and the devastating effect a hacked password can have for individuals and businesses, the most recent report from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) makes for worrying reading.

According to the report, 70% of people believe they will fall victim to a cyber-crime within the next two years, while 23.3 million hacked accounts of victims worldwide used 123456 as the password, which is unlikely to take a sophisticated hacking app long to crack.

This disregard for strong password protection shows there is still a lack of understanding about the nature of modern hacking attacks, as the advice of security experts continues to fall on deaf ears.

Rather than manually testing a series of simple combinations in the hope of guessing your password, criminals are now using much more sophisticated methods to breach accounts, and it’s crucial that you stay one step ahead of the threat.

NCSC report findings Taking the lead on cyber security-related issues within the UK, the NCSC uses its own research and findings to deliver practical guidance to businesses of all sizes.

Responding quickly to security incidents and protecting companies from serious harm, the organisation draws on industry and academic expertise to improve security

12 | Talk About IT

measures and safeguard public and private sector networks.

The report delivered by the NCSC is based on data compiled from telephone interviews and shows that 37% of respondents agreed that losing money or personal details over the internet has become unavoidable.

Ironically, the same report reveals a serious disregard for password security, with many individuals setting weak or predictable combinations that make it easy for hackers.

With freely available programmes designed to run automatically and try millions of combinations, simply setting your password to ‘Pa55word’ will no longer suffice.

Creating a strong password When it comes to protecting your data, information or money, the only way to make a long-term difference is by changing your attitude towards password security.

Although it may sound straightforward, the first step is to stay away from obvious passwords that you’ve trusted in the past. This includes sequential numbers or letters, birthdays and especially the word ‘password’.

Not only will these be cracked in seconds, but hackers will recognise you probably use it for other accounts and target all your other password-protected assets.

Instead, it’s important to make passwords longer, aiming for at least 15 characters where possible, using a combination of upper-case and lower-case letters, while throwing in numbers and symbols for good measure.

Alternatively, a word combo can be extremely effective, using a combination of random but memorable words that make it almost impossible for hackers to guess. An example of a word combo could be ‘FootballDogYellowCar’ – the more ridiculous the better.

Another option is to use one of the many free password generator tools available from leading cyber-security organisations, which work locally on your computer, with no risk of your choices being compromised.

Sophisticated methods Although changing your attitude towards password security is an important first step, that won’t necessarily help you spot an incoming threat or identify the points of attack.

The most common method used by hackers remains brute-force, which despite its name, can be technically effective for those looking to breach an already weak security system.

Brute-force attacks will often use a password dictionary, containing millions of words and numbers that can be tried in combinations to discover the correct password.

This can take minutes, hours, days or even years – the programme has enough patience.

Once a hacker has set the programme running, passwords will be tried systematically, delivering a successful hack if the dictionary contains the correct password.

Therefore, it is critical that steps are taken to create a complex password that contains more than one word.

Internal threats While outside hacking attacks can be difficult to prevent, there are other routes into secure networks and accounts, which typically involve the actions of individuals granting access.

Some cyber-criminals will try to trick, intimidate or pressure an individual into giving them what they want, otherwise known as phishing, when attacks are personalised to target a specific organisation.

Typically, the phishing email explains that a receiving bank account’s details have changed or there is something wrong with an account, prompting the

Talk About IT | 13

recipient to click a link to resolve the issue.

This link then leads to a fake website that has been carefully designed to look like a legitimate banking website, often duping unsuspecting users into entering their access details and password. A message will then inform the individual that the account cannot be accessed, and they should retry in ten minutes – just enough time for the criminals to empty your account.

This same approach is used regularly by cyber criminals, targeting businesses, law firms, banks and anyone with valuable data or money moving through their accounts.

Securing the future of your business…

Password protection is not a new security feature, but research shows that individuals and businesses are still not treating it seriously enough.

Although it may be tempting to create a relatively straightforward password that is memorable and quick to type, hackers now have the power to test millions of combinations and breach your account within minutes.

Although opting to use a selection of upper-case and lower-case characters isn’t always efficient, doing so can help secure your account from would-be hackers.

Remember, cyber-attacks are becoming more sophisticated over time, so it is important to regularly update your password and other security measures, ensuring you stay one step ahead of criminals.

If you’re unsure about the next steps, contact an experienced managed service provider and begin securing the future of your business.

hilst on the surface, many businesses remain reticent about adopting cloud services, there are a significant number who will be unaware just how much cloud usage there is within their organisation.

Cloud can be invisible, locked up in individuals’ user accounts and never registered on any asset list. In fact, now might be a good time to try and understand your organisation’s true cloud usage, unless you have you become blinded by cloud sprawl.

Who is making the purchase?

The ease of purchasing cloud has contributed to increased adoption. Anyone can purchase cloud services and now we are even witnessing employees buying their own apps (some free), because they believe they will help them get their jobs done more efficiently.

Take Mailchimp, the email sending and tracking software, which many people wouldn’t think twice about using and importing contacts to, so they can distribute a company newsletter – but when that individual leaves, does the account leave to?

We often try to manage cloud the same way we managed traditional IT purchases, but the purchasing models are now fundamentally different.

CFOs struggle to understand what their IT budget is, given the cloud sprawl within the business can mask the real IT spend. It can now be tough to predict costs if ‘pay as you go’ cloud services based on consumption are being used.

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Bills can vary, budgets can increase and planning becomes more difficult.

not convinced they can.

Who is in charge?

As managed IT service providers, we can recommend developing asset registers for cloud services, and standardising the process for purchasing them, but is that realistic in a busy commercial environment?

Who is responsible for cloud services across your business? Who decides what to buy and when? Is it always the IT department? Or does Marketing buy their own apps? Does HR use its own HR tools, purchased locally?

Perhaps we have to accept that cloud will have to fully mature within organisations, before we can hope to start controlling it more thoroughly.

In the meantime, some thoughts to ponder:

Previously, it would have been the IT Director with Finance signing off on budgets. But now, reflecting cloud sprawl, it’s typically the Finance Director having to decide whether to approve purchases.

Some businesses develop a joined-up approach to cloud purchases: Finance signs off on the business case, IT is notified, then everyone discusses how the new service will sit alongside current systems and how the cost will fit into the IT budget.

But I believe there are many more organisations that do not benefit from a joined-up approach. These organisations are unaware how rampant cloud is across the business, with any original cost-savings expected from a cloud migration, lost due to the number of new services added each year.

Bringing back control When I considered this topic, I thought about how organisations might better control cloud sprawl, but I’m

• Are you overprovisioning cloud services? Many times, out of a fear of moving to cloud services, customers overprovision and end up paying more than they need to.

• How are you managing user logins for cloud services? You should have a central system for keeping track of user logins for the different cloud services used across the business, just in case a vital employee leaves and takes that knowledge with them.

• Do you have a purchase code? In your accounting systems a code to track when cloud services have been purchased will make for easier reporting.

Whilst some may argue this is not sprawl, but a new period of enlightenment, I would paraphrase French philosopher Voltaire and remind everyone that without adequate management of all cloud services; ‘with great flexibility, comes great complexity’.

Talk About IT | 15

When the

difference

You are aware your IT environment is not all it should be and it’s holding back your business. So you call in the consultants or invite a number of managed IT service providers to pitch solutions that will resolve your problems.

You and your management team sit through all the presentations, hear what can be done and understand how doing something, changing this or switching that, will make all the difference to your business.

t c n i t s n I

But then when you take time to consider everything, the solutions are all slightly different and the costs are similar, what do you do? How do you decide what is right for your business?

Doing nothing is not a viable option. When the choice is complicated and the solutions presented to overcome a challenge are similar, it’s easy to suffer decision inertia, regardless of the likelihood that the outcome will be less than optimal.

Making the decision It’s a big decision and not just in terms of cost. You will have to work with this managed service provider as your partner for three to five years. So how do you decide when there is little to choose between the solutions and you need to resolve the challenge facing your business?

You could delay the decision of course, but the problem with IT is that if you wait another year, the problem in your business will have compounded and you’ve lost a year’s benefits delivered by the new solution.

The steering committee or management team will influence your choice, but ultimately the decision rests with you. Now your instinct becomes more important and trust is a significant factor – out of all the people who can support your business into the next phase, who do you trust the most?

Still not sure? Fortunately there is an equation that helps define trust:

Trust = Credibility + reliability + intimacy Self-orientation Credibility

Reliability

Intimacy

Self-orientation

Do they know their stuff? Do they understand the challenges you face? Are their references appropriate and high quality? Are they experienced working in your sector?

Do they deliver on their promises? Have they been around long enough? Are they stable as a business? Is their team settled?

Do I like them as a business? Do I find their people approachable and engaging?

Possibly the most important consideration. Is the suggested solution addressing my interests or theirs? Is the solution right for my business or easiest for them to deliver? Is the offering truly client-centric?

You can see from the equation that the less the service provider is selforientated the higher they score for trust. Which is what you’d expect. If they care more about delivering the right solution than what is easiest for them, the chances are you should trust them.

Trusting a managed service provider you can get along with for the duration of the contract is one way to differentiate when the solutions are all close, but whatever happens, do something. Doing the same as you always have and expecting different results is not an option.

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Shortcuts

for Microsoft Office Apps Everyone knows there are some really useful keyboard shortcuts to help save time, but here a few of our Training team’s favourite and a few less well-known ones. Keep the list handy and let us know if you have any particular favourites we can share with our readers.

Word

Excel

Ctrl + Spacebar – Removes all formatting from selected text, which is especially handy if you have copied and pasted (Ctrl C + Ctrl V) text from another document with a different font.

Alt + Shift + Up or Down Arrow keys – moves the selected text up or down in the document (an alternative to using cut & paste for moving a section of text) Alt + Shift + D – Inserts a field containing today’s date 05/09/201905/0 9/201905/09/201905/09/201905/09/201905/09/2019 Ctrl + B – formats the selected text as bold Ctrl + F6 – Cycle through all of your open Word documents Ctrl + S – Save your changes, a quick & easy way of saving as you work (and it works in all of the Office applications).

Ctrl + W – Closes the current document (you will be prompted if you haven’t saved any changes)

Shift + Space – Select the entire current row Ctrl + Space – Select the entire current column Alt + = – Inserts an AutoSum (select your required row or column of figures first to quickly total them) Ctrl + ; – Inserts the current date into the cell. The date does not automatically update though.

Ctrl + Shift + * – Selects all of the cells (that contain data) around the active cell. Note: The * on the numeric keypad does not work Ctrl + Page Down – Move to the next sheet Ctrl + Page Up – Move to the previous sheet Ctrl + arrow keys – To quickly move to the last or first used cell in any direction (Once you go past the last or first used cell, it will move to the last or first available cell in the row or column)

Shift + F3 – Change the case of selected text (each press cycles through, UPPER CASE, lower case and Capitalising The First Letter Of Each Word)

PowerPoint

Outlook

Ctrl + Scroll Mouse Wheel – Zoom in and out of your slide (handy when you are aligning objects)

Ctrl + N – If you are in Mail it will create a new email. If you are in Calendar it will create a new appointment

Ctrl + M – Inserts a new blank slide (using the default layout)

Ctrl + 1 – Switch to Mail

Ctrl + D – Duplicates the selected item e.g., shape or image (much quicker than copy and paste)

Ctrl + 2 – Switch to Calendar

B – While running your slide show, this will turn the screen black, press B again to return to the slide show and continue with your presentation W - While running your slide show, this will turn the screen white, press W again to return to the slide show and continue with your presentation.

Alt + S – Sends the current email message Ctrl + G – In your calendar, go to a specific date Alt + Up Arrow – In your calendar, go to the previous week Alt + Down Arrow – In your calendar, go to the next week Ctrl + U – In your mail, mark the selected message as unread

Next time around we’ll take a look at more shortcuts and some other popular applications to help you get more from your Microsoft Office 365 subscription.

And remember, our dedicated training team will happily devise a programme to help your people be more productive – saving just 1 minute an hour is worth almost a working week over a year! If you would like any more details, please get in touch with our Training team.

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PSSST...

It’s okay to ask your MSP awkward questions

Whether it’s transcription and typing or marketing and managed IT services, outsourcing support offers most law firms productivity and profitability gains over in-house alternatives.

Whilst some firms will engage specialist consultants to help them select a managed IT service provider (MSP), the choice can be made simpler if the provider not only addresses the firm’s current IT concerns, but understands the likely trends and challenges, whilst proving to be a good, responsible partner at the same time.

Here are a few trends and questions that will affect the future of your potential MSP partner and they should be discussing these technology topics when you meet to make your selection.

Managed services market trends When you sit down with your board or your consultants to draw up a list of suitable MSPs, you need to understand if the selected firms offer more than just a list of services.

Do they truly understand the direction of their industry and how technology changes and future trends are likely to impact your business throughout the lifespan of the relationship? There are several key trends that they should raise as topics of conversations that should help underpin your decision making.

Security should be your top priority for your firm with support from your MSP Whilst many of the trends are positive, the most important focus will be on the negative of cyber-crime. It is critical your selected MSPs truly understand the risks law firms face and offer a comprehensive service to defend your business and aide recovery when/if the inevitable happens.

It’s a repetitive message and perhaps that’s part of the problem as some firms choose to ignore the very real threat and hope the storm passes them by. However recent research underpins the scale of what is happening.

In 2018 alone, £354.3 million was stolen via authorised push payment fraud, with criminals using social engineering and phishing attacks to steal victim’s money - a 92% increase on the 2017 figure.

These figures are put further under the spotlight because according to HM Government around 1,400 criminal organisations are currently targeting

18 | Talk About IT

the legal sector, exploiting out of date or inadequate security, so the 2018 figure will see a further increase.

If that’s not scary enough, then the Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2019, released by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) found that at least 80% of businesses had experienced sustained and frequent phishing attempts last year.

Ironically there seems little to discourage the criminals, with only 1% of UK cybercrimes leading to a prosecution, which compares badly to the 17,900 cases of computer hacking reported in 2018.

These figures highlight the need for law firms to do everything they can to protect themselves, as there is little likelihood of cyber-crime reducing any time soon.

And unfortunately, it seems that the vast majority of businesses are still struggling to plan for data breaches and attacks of this nature.

The DCMS report also claims that only 56% of respondents had a valid cyber certification in place and only 16% have implemented any formal procedures or cyber security incident management processes.

Staff training was also poor with only 37% of businesses actively training staff to spot a cyber threat, which shows some irony as they are usually the focus for most attacks.

We recognise that clients typically believe it is the responsibility of the MSP to handle security of their information and data, despite the possibility of each user within the client business to fall victim to a cyberattack.

This has forced MSPs to adopt a securityfirst mindset, not just centred around solutions though, but also on processes on what to do if an attack takes place and any associated recovery. An MSP who understands and can confidently support your business around cybersecurity will have a strong point of difference when you are making decisions.

Doing the day job with an app-first strategy Security is the number one consideration, but the bills must be paid and the day job must still be done. So not only does your MSP have to support the security aspect it is critical that they also have an app-first strategy around your business.

delivering high availability and ongoing security.

Here are a few of the questions you should ask and have confidence in the answers.

What are the business-critical applications helping to improve the productivity of your lawyers? Legal services and other lines of business will need peak performance for business operations, but IT will also need to secure the sensitive data collected.

What are the mission-critical applications on which your organisation relies? Here is where IT needs to strike a balance between

What are the customer-facing applications that help you engage directly with your clients? These might require the flexibility

Emerging technologies shape the future MSP There are several technology trends emerging that are forecast to impact the UK legal market, with Artificial Intelligence (AI) perhaps the one currently gaining most attention and indeed momentum.

With massive investment in the technology from all the major technology players and the rise of productised AI, we are

now seeing it becoming more and more accessible law firms of every size.

With the advent of cloud technology, AI is becoming cheaper, faster and far more accessible. The ability to utilise the technology on a per use basis, rather than the traditional investments methods, only adds to the attraction and its growing use

Cloud solutions will require greater subtlety Cloud is now increasingly used to create new platforms to enhance customer engagement as businesses seek to drive digital transformation.

Application of multi-cloud environments is enjoying significant growth, with customers relying mainly on just one cloud, while using others more sporadically, which should see leading MSPs offering consumption-based pricing models.

One of the most critical areas that you should consider is how MSP’s proposition is supporting cost optimisation, it is estimated that cloud spend is 30% over where it should be due in many ways to the complexity and volumes of the environments.

It is critical that the MSP understand governance, security, and compliance and has a level of expertise when it comes to your requirements for cloud optimisation.

Growing demand for outcome-based services Result-based outcomes with pre-defined or expected standards are likely to be in more demand, with MSPs needing to develop a full-stack service rather than single-tower services.

Therefore, MSPs will evolve their style of management and the functions they deliver, backed by an ability to offer consulting services to help ensure measurable results.

to handle sharp spikes in usage, without unnecessarily eating up costly resources.

When working with clients around their digital journey the conversation with the best service providers should focus on security, infrastructure, cloud and connectivity, as each one of these areas will be dictated to by the app-first approach.

Any one of the major components within the solution can affect the way applications operate, especially practice management systems, with a knock-on effect on the overall operation.

will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the UK legal sector.

The ability to exploit this technology and support your journey will depend on the skill set and understanding within the MSP. The best will demonstrate a deep understanding and partner network that will support your journey - blockchain, virtual reality, augmented reality will also find favour in 2019 and beyond.

Reasons to shortlist MSP in the legal sector We have written extensively on this subject in recent months, but to recap, we believe that when you are drawing up a shortlist of MSPs, their offering should be more than just a list of IT-related services – their expertise with Cloud and IT systems should be a given.

The cloud marketplace has changed everything dramatically and now the service offered by MSPs must be client-focused around the solution, its delivery and ongoing management. The solutions should be tailored to what you need, not necessarily what is easiest for them to deliver.

The best service providers will adopt new technologies, whilst investing in the people and associated infrastructure to support their clients’ current and future requirements.

The offering should include the deployment and management of cloud solutions, some solely public, some combining public and private clouds and other deployments including on-premise – whatever works best for the law firm.

And perhaps most importantly, the chosen MSPs must understand the legal sector and the unique challenges faced by firms like yours, with relatable experience deploying solutions and services in a law firm environment.

The MSPs should demonstrate experience working with law firms of all sizes, from single office firms to larger multi-site firms, including international locations.

If they are to help you on your journey of digital transformation, ask yourself if they have the experience to consult on your future IT strategy and help advise your direction of travel?

Talk About IT | 19

Making sense of

In the last magazine, we covered the abbreviations and acronyms used throughout the world of unified communications, from C to H. In this, our last instalment we offer a brief explanation of some of the more common (and more technical) terms we use every day as we specify and install and manage VoIP or hybrid communications solutions.

J

is for…

Jitter – more accurately network jitter, is responsible for poor voice quality and interference in telecommunications and is caused by a disruption in the normal sequence of sending data packets.

Q

is for…

QoS – an acronym for ‘Quality of Service’ which defines the performance of the service or a telephony network, considering factors like bandwidth, throughput, transmission delay, jitter etc.

T

is for…

Telepresence – video and audio technology that allows individuals to communicate and collaborate with colleagues in one location, when in reality they are at a remote location.

V

L

is for…

Latency – this is the time it takes a packet of data to travel from one application to another, including the time to cross the network and the time needed to prepare and process data at both ends.

S

SIP – this acronym stands for ‘Session Initiation Protocol’, a signalling protocol responsible for starting, maintaining, modifying and ending real time sessions including video and voice messaging between two or more endpoints in IP networks.

SIP Trunking – These are VoIP phone-line channels delivered through an Internet connection using SIP to set-up and control the call, along with real-time data packets. This ‘standard’ protocol allows different brands of phone system and different phone-sets running SIP to connect.

Softphone – allows users to make voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) calls from a range of devices, including laptops, smartphones or tablets, without need for a handset.

Video Conferencing – technology that brings together people in different locations on a single screen, to allow them to communicate and collaborate in real time – it can involve more than two locations.

VPN - Virtual Private Network is a private network extended across the Internet, to allow date to be shared in a more secure and protective way across public networks.

Web Collaboration – the act of sharing content, files, documents, presentations, workflows, etc., in real time with multiple users, in different offices or locations, connected through the internet.

20 | Talk About IT

Presence - technology that helps determine the location and status of the users in an organisation, once they connect to the network, wherever they may be; office, home, away or busy for example.

SBC – stands for ‘Session Border Controller’, which is a network function that provides security for VoIP infrastructures, by only allowing approved traffic access to a business communications system.

VoIP – finally one we all know. It stands for Voice over Internet Protocol which allows voice signals to be transmitted across the internet, offering good call quality at lower costs than traditional phone lines.

is for…

is for…

is for…

is for…

W

P

U

is for…

Unified Messaging – describes the ability to store voicemails, emails, faxes and other types of message in the same place, allowing users to access them from the same mailbox from anywhere, it is called unified messaging.

UCaaS - Unified Communications as a Service integrates real-time communication like chat, IP telephony, video conferencing etc., with deferred communication like email, fax, voicemail, messaging to deliver a consistent experience across multiple devices.

And that’s the lot, well at least the ones most commonly used. We know we have missed out a few of the more obscure ones and we’re sorry if it was one of your favourites, but we’re sure the average user will manage without them.

It’s all well and good understanding the terms used, but if you’d like to know more of the benefits a unified communications solution tailored to your business can bring, please get in touch.

T

his is not a King Canute style attempt to defy the transition to Cloud being undertaken by so many organisations, but a consideration of the recent trend that has seen some big players repatriating their data from the Cloud.

In fairness, the argument is perhaps more nuanced, with much of the information being moved from public Cloud services like AWS and restored to private data centres, not necessarily a server in the office.

Typically, the move has resulted in savings, some of them huge; Dropbox recently reporting a saving of almost £32M in annual infrastructure costs. It’s not just data returning either, with organisations returning critical workloads including business intelligence, ERP and CRM applications, along with SQL and SharePoint databases – some cite cutting operational costs in half as a reason to move.

Transparency is one of the problems Whether migrating workloads into the cloud or bringing them back, calculating the actual cost is tricky and most cloud service providers are criticized for pricing that is far from transparent.

For the average business, it is hard to understand the total cost of ownership.

The costs associated with the type of server, the number of virtual machines and CPU cores, the amount of RAM, the operating system and database engine choices, to say nothing of the chosen storage type, migration expenses, testing and consultancy fees, all have to considered – see I said it was tricky.

Our clients exhibit the full spectrum of solutions; Public Cloud, Private Cloud, a hybrid mix of the two and on-premise data centre’s all feature on our managed service list.

And to be fair, to compare costs accurately requires a full understanding of owning and maintaining on-premises infrastructure, which includes hardware and app costs, but also the cost of keeping the lights blinking; electricity, connectivity, IT technicians etc.

turning back to on-premise private cloud, hosted private cloud, or on-premise non-cloud infrastructures – presumably to regain a higher degree of control.

Given our work with clients in heavily regulated sectors, like finance, legal and pharmaceutical, we understand the apprehension expressed by some about storing and hosting huge amounts of sensitive information off-premises, with an apparent loss of control.

Public Cloud hosting is actually very secure. These are global giants able to afford the best physical and digital security, supported by the best and brightest brains in the industry, who typically think like the criminals they are trying to stop.

Ignoring the weak link for most organisations is their people, the network responsible for the transmission of data between device and Public Cloud traverses multiple switch and router hops, when it can be vulnerable to hacking, diversion or interception.

What’s right not what’s easiest This current (and likely to grow if the anecdotal evidence is to be believed) trend, highlights what we as a business have always argued; the solution must be right for the client and not what is easiest to implement for the managed service provider.

Most organisations will benefit from a solution that combines Public and Private Clouds and even on-premise infrastructure to reflect the needs of specific workloads and applications, with consideration given to performance, cost and security – flexibility is key.

Whilst it is likely increased efficiency within Public Cloud will help to reduce cost and help it continue to grow, it’s important to get the outcome right for the client. And then work with them to constantly monitor performance and understand what’s right today, may need to change to be right tomorrow.

CLOUD ISN’T ALWAYS THE ANSWER

It’s also easy for IT teams to get a bit carried away by all the clamour for Cloud, which means they spend more than they budgeted for when storing data in public clouds. And the costs can be exacerbated by the expense and complexity of moving on-premise legacy applications into public clouds with no reengineering.

It’s not just about the money Cost is not the only reason organisations are looking to repatriate Public Cloud data, with many citing performance and availability issues, regulatory compliance or data sovereignty requirements. In each case the numbers highlighting these reasons for change were about the same as those claiming cost was the major consideration.

Interestingly, global technology experts IDC reports security concerns another major factor in the trend of repatriation, with many organisations they surveyed

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QUISS PEOPLE

Scott Hawkins - Assistant Warehouse Operative

Matthew Green - Helpdesk Analyst

Keavie Bissell Smith - Helpdesk Analyst

Philip Malkin - Helpdesk Analyst

Samuel Allen - Helpdesk Analyst

Carl Malkin - Senior Helpdesk Analyst

Edward Birt - Senior Systems Specialist

Duncan Butcher - Site Support Analyst

Patryk Mierzwa - Lead Helpdesk Analyst

Oliver Charles - Associate Network Specialist

David Biggs - Technical Account Manager

Aaron Taylor - Helpdesk Analyst

Mark Rice - Field Service Engineer

Thomas Batchelor - Helpdesk Analyst

Ian Wilson-Hart - Procurement Specialist

Rebecca Wale - Procurement Support Administrator

Dawid Gustaw - Helpdesk Analyst

Jason Charles - Head of Service Delivery

Jamie Samuels - Site Support Analyst

Stephen Howe - Commercial Services Manager

Mohammed Ahmed - Site Support Analyst (Taylor Walton)

Inderpreet Reyat - Helpdesk Analyst

Cleon Russell - Helpdesk Analyst

Anthony Cooper-Richards - Site Support Analyst

A must-read book for every business In a new feature for our magazine, we’re taking a regular look at the books that have made a difference, made us think differently or guided the decisions of the reader in some way.

Our first outing is a favourite book of David Ricketts, Head of Marketing here at Quiss and a confirmed bibliophile, who is reviewing Small Giants by Bo Burlingham.

owner Bill Butler found himself unhappy.

Bill felt that he no longer knew all his employees, so he did a remarkable thing, he narrowed his clients from 25 to 10, letting go of his largest client that accounted for 50% of the company’s revenue.

But staying small had some real advantages.

This is a fantastic book which really slams home the fact that you don’t have to be constantly expanding to have a great deal of success. Small giants are businesses that have deliberately chosen not to chase growth and profits, but instead have stayed true to their ideals.

The small workforce meant that the workforce new each other and help drive a positive culture around pride in their work. This allows them to immediately see the impact their efforts have on the business and their clients.

They’re passionate about what they do and focused on doing it extremely well; following this little-trodden path has made them very successful. Some of the key ideas within the book are listed below:

Smaller companies usually have a nicer atmosphere which tends to have a knock-on effect of better overall customer service, which delivers further value for the company, and as in the case of Bill the owner tends to know all the clients personally.

Key idea 1 – Growth can make you unhappy Most CEO’s today know the feeling of being interviewed where the focus is based around growth, they always end up chasing quarter on quarter growth, making decisions for short term gain over long term success.

Key idea 2 – Control and passion The first key idea about happiness, is rooted in the concern that the owner of the business is losing control. Most business owners like to retain ownership in the hands of as few individuals as possible, but growth usually means outside influences affecting decisions, often in the form of external investors, brought in to fund the growth.

There is however another way. It’s what Burlingham calls ‘Small Giants’. These are businesses that have at some point put quality before growth, deciding not to expand for the sake of expanding.

The book highlights the case of W L Butler Construction, which grew to 129 employees and revenues in excess of $20 million, but

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Most of the Small Giants mentioned do not have outside investment.

The owners tend to be passionate about their business and put quality ahead of profit.

Profile: David Ricketts Head of Marketing Nick Demetrius - Senior Helpdesk Analyst Joshua Bate - Senior Helpdesk Analyst Dean Evans - Systems Specialist Darren Woodley - Senior Helpdesk Analyst (Team Lead) Kam Randhawa - Senior Helpdesk Analyst (Team Lead) Karolis Viktus - Senior Helpdesk Analyst (Team Lead) Tom Wood - Senior Helpdesk Analyst - Team Lead Tom Price - Network Specialist

Key idea 3 – Where there is soul there is quality The faceless corporation is a term that is commonly used. Employees end up feeling like cogs in a machine, under-appreciated and poorly motivated. In Small Giants this is not the case, but the question is Why? Well in the book, all the businesses mentioned had a soul. The culture had been developed early on, which meant that they focused on quality, motivating employees and making the business an exciting place to work.

In one example employees were able to describe the soul of the business far better than the owner and how the atmosphere made them feel. They felt part of something; they felt important.

Unlike the big corporates the Small Giants are not driven by profit maximisation but by doing what is right, which is a by-product of the owners originally setting up their business to do something they really cared about. This passion ensured they recruited people who also cared.

Caring employees who are focused on doing what is right usually deliver outstanding quality, unlike most faceless corporates.

Conclusion The book, which is available on line for about £ 1.50 second hand, has a lot more to add than three key ideas. It is filled with fantastic stories of businesses that you will admire for their determination to be great instead of big.

And sometimes it is great to see people who have the strength to do what they believe is right, putting quality before profit.

David’s love of all things marketing, branding, communications and sales goes back almost 30 years, although to look at the fresh-faced chap in the office, you’d never guess he’d been at it that long.

He joined Quiss earlier this year to bring a new dynamism and client-focussed approach to our marketing efforts across all channels.

He is a pragmatic marketer however, who believes all activity should ultimately lead to sales; it’s about delivering what clients need, not what’s easiest to do.

David’s penchant for learning has not only seen him add various qualifications to his original degree in Business and Marketing, but ensures he is always across the latest trends and innovative thinking throughout the world of sales and marketing.

He was the perfect choice to help shape our business, given his more than two decades of experience within managed IT services provision, Cloud (Public, Private and Hybrid) solutions, ERP and SaaS, working with numerous blue chip and mid-market companies, developing a particular expertise in the legal and professional services sectors.

Away from the office, David is a committed family man and bibliophile, especially the inspiring works of the world’s great thinkers and commentators; ask him and he will recommend a dozen titles for you to read that will broaden your approach to life, business and marketing.

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T E C H N O L O GY M A D E S I M P LE

A

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clients in the spotlight As you might expect, the content of our magazine focusses largely on our industry, the world of managed services and the technology behind the scenes that makes it all possible. However, we never lose sight of the ultimate aim of our work, which is to help our clients do what they do best.

The current economic climate dictates that organisations across every sector require robust, secure and well-manged IT networks and infrastructure if they are to succeed.

We would go so far as to suggest those organisations prepared to invest in the technology that enables their people to be more effective and work more efficiently, will lead the way in the postBrexit economy – whatever that looks like.

In this edition we shine a spotlight on the work of our client, Taylor Walton LLP.

Legal solutions for businesses and individuals Taylor Walton LLP is a leading regional law firm, renowned as a trusted advisor to a wide range of clients including FTSE 350 companies, public and private sector organisations, charities and high-net worth individuals.

It employs more than 100 dedicated legal professionals, across its three offices in Luton, Harpenden and St Albans, chosen to be strategically close to, but not in London.

This decision ensures the firm’s clients have easy access to lawyers with City experience, without having to pay City firm prices, which allows its clients to benefit from highly competitive fee rates, thanks to the lower cost base.

Taylor Walton LLP is a law firm dedicated to shaping its service to better reflect the changing needs of its clients. With

more than a decade of consistent growth and a commitment to developing and recruiting talented legal professionals with the experience to deliver exceptional results, it is the blueprint for modern law firms.

The firm boasts an excellent staff retention rate, thanks in part to a focus on creating an outstanding place to work, which includes the technology that underpins collaboration, connectivity and communication between clients and colleagues.

From everyday business support to resolving challenging legal issues, Taylor Walton works in partnership with a number of other trusted advisors, like accountants, insolvency practitioners and HR consultants, to provide a comprehensive, pragmatic clientfocused service.

effective way to make the most of its current on-premise solutions, while supporting its digital transformation journey and the integration of cloud resources as necessary.

Cloud is not the only answer to every IT question. And for data intensive businesses like law firms, working with legacy applications often optimised for on-premise server infrastructure, but still wishing to adopt new technology to improve the user experience, a hybrid approach is key.

Driving the firm’s digital transformation is the recognition that clients now expect more from their legal advisers and want a closer, more proactive relationship.

The firm offers various legal services that cater to both businesses and individuals, with experienced solicitors that cover Commercial Litigation, Corporate & Commercial, Commercial Real Estate, Employment Law, Residential Conveyancing, Family Law and Private Client services.

An effective, secure IT environment not only allows closer contact with clients, but ensures the firm’s lawyers and support teams have access to the information and systems they need to continue delivering the excellent client service for which Taylor Walton is renowned.

Taylor Walton have also developed various programmes such as ‘Aspire’, a unique service tailored for Owner Managed Businesses, which covers all the likely legal needs of a growing business, thereby making the firm a true one-stop shop for busy people.

There is so much more on offer from modern law firms like Taylor Walton, with legal and support services beyond a simple distress purchase when things go wrong.

Technology changing the face of legal services

To understand how they have become a trusted adviser to their growing client base, visit www.taylorwalton.com and get to know the firm a little better and the people who make it tick

As a forward-thinking agile law firm, Taylor Walton was looking at the most

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FALSIFIED MEDICINES DIRECTIVE: HOW IT WORKS The Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD) will be rolled out in Europe from February 2019 to address the trhreat of fake medicines and will impact the whole supply chain.

European Medicines Verification System The European Medicines Verification System (EMVS) is a data repository storing the identification data of all medicines packs in the European Union, transmitting data from manufacturers to all of the National Medicines Verification Systems (NMVS).

Manufacturers

Pre-Wholesaler

Wholesalers

Manufacturers apply unique identifier (UI) codes to their pack labelling (see safety features) and add anti-tampering devices (ADT), then upload the UI code to the European Medicines Verification System (EMVS).

Manufacturers store medicines with pre-wholesalers, who then sell them to wholesalers.

Wholesalers only scan and verify those medicines not supplied directly from a manufacturer or pre-wholesaler. This riskbased verification means a high percentage of medicines will not need to be verified or decommissioned by wholesalers - who will decommission medicines on behalf of other suppliers, like dentists and care homes.

Earlier this year, the European Falsified Medicine Directive (FMD) came into force with the aim of helping manufacturers, wholesalers and supply chain partners within the pharmaceutical industry combat counterfeit medicines to improve patient safety.

From February 2019, manufacturers and suppliers must affix 2-D barcodes and anti-tampering devices on their packaging for all the prescription medicines they provide. Hospitals and pharmacies, including those on-line will check packaging to ensure the authenticity of the medicines dispensed.

Quiss worked closely with a number of pharmaceutical manufacturers and supply chain partners in the run up to the deadline, to help ensure their IT systems and infrastructure were robust and secure at every point of this serialisation process.

Explained above is the system that should instil you with confidence that the medicines provided by your pharmacist are safe and exactly as prescribed by your health practitioner.

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Safety Features Under the FMD, all new packs of prescription medicines put on the market from February 2019 will have to have two safety features:

Anti tampering device (ATD) The exact nature of the physical ATD will be decided by the manufacturer. If the ATD is broken, the medicince cannot be supplied.

Who will be impacted by the FMD in the UK?

15,000 community pharmacies

260 acute NHS hospitals

190 private hospitals

7,500 GP practices and surgeries

Community Pharmacy Pharmacy staff check the antitampering device (ATD) is intact.

Then the UI code is scanned and verified against the NMVS. Only once verified can the medicine be decommissioned, changing its status in the NMVS from ‘active’ to ‘inactive-dispensed’.

This prevents the same UI being verified again. The medicine is decommissioned at the time of supply to the patient.

Hospital Pharmacy The product follows the same process as in a community pharmacy, but can be decommissioned at any time after verification.

National Medicines Verification System When a medicine is scanned the National Medicines Verification System (NMVS) responds with the status of the product as either ‘active’, meaning it can be distributed or dispensed or ‘inactive’, meaning it cannot be distributed or dispensed.

This might happen if the pack has been withdrawn, stolen or already dispensed. The NMVS will raise an alert to the authorities (Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency) if a potential falsified medicine is identified.

790 market authoration holders

66 million patients

1,200 dispensing doctors

1,500 Unique identifier (UI)

authorised wholesalers/distributors

The UI is a unique 2D barcode made up of four key elements (shown below).

• • • • •

Data matrix (similar to QR code) Product Code Unique serialisation number Expiry date Batch number

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Is your law firm ready for the digital office? “

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Peter Kettleborough Head of IT Thompsons Solicitors

“

Kappris has made the whole process of sending digital documents with e-signatures so much easier.”

James Temple Head of IT Seddons Solicitors

Our simple to implement Kappris software allows your law firm to work in an extremely easy and flexible way, transforming your firm’s efficiency and creating a tailored working environment.

Kappris is a suite of simple software and templates that can transform the way your law firm works, whether that be digitally or with physical documents. It enables you to print securely from your work system to your home printer and it gives you one common view linking multiple hardware setups, wherever you are.

We can improve your performance and deliver genuine and significant reduction in costs.

Some of our clients:

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