Jump to over a hundred years later, in the mid 90’s, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) was invented. The voice signal was broken down into packets and sent, in much the same way as an email, over the internet to its destination. But it was early days, perhaps too early and internet technology just couldn’t support it efficiently. Packets were getting lost or delayed and the effect was less than desirable and more like Dr Who and the Daleks!

Since then, the quality has come a long way. BT are spending £10bn turning their old PSTN lines into a new IP 21st Century Network. Broadband is the fastest growing consumer technology of all time and your business needs to be positioned for the future.

Plus, it can save you money. Not just because you avoid paying the old traditional telephone companies (sorry Mr Bell) but because you are only maintaining one network for phones and data. When an employee moves all they have to do is plug it in to a different broadband network jack and hey presto, you avoid costly charges and are available to your customers from any location in the world. In a recent survey conducted by Sage Research the increased productivity enabled by internet telephony added up to a staggering 3.9 hours per week per employee.

There hasn’t been a simpler, cheaper way to have a telephone since the yoghurt pot and string was invented so make sure your company doesn’t get left behind and say ‘Hello’ to IP Telephony and the future.

BT are calling it ‘The Fourth Revolution’

BBC says “Alexander Graham Bell would be proud”

Moneysavingexpert.com argues it “has turned the phone world upside down”

Why not learn more about VoIP at our free Spring Seminar on Tuesday 9th March at The Connected Earth Building in Amberley?

Details and bookings can be found at www.arcomit.co.uk/seminar

This event is already very popular and we only have a few places left. If you haven’t already, book now to avoid disappointment!

THAT’S WHY MUMS GO TO ICELAND.

Stella Buckingham is the Head of IT and Administration at our customer Classic Collection Holidays, a Hot 100 Listed company that provides luxury holidays.

But Stella isn’t expecting 5 star treatment when she travels to Iceland on the 21st July for a five day trek on behalf of the Royal Alexandra Childrens Hospital, The Royal Marsden Hospital which provides cutting edge cancer treatment and the Tony Barnard Foundation which helps people with learning difficulties.

Stella and her team mate Amanda will trek for up to 9 hours a day across rough and steep terrain, lava fields, snow and ice, climbing down ropes to reach footbridges and wading through freezing cold streams! Hoping to sleep through the midnight sun which offers only 2-3 hours of twilight a night, they will pass the lower slopes of Hekla, Iceland’s most famous volcano which erupts about every 10 years – yes, it last erupted in 2000!

Arcom IT are thrilled to have an opportunity to help such a worthy cause and we have donated a 32” Toshiba LCD Freeview HD Television to their charity raffle. “I don’t know what to say!?! That is fantastic, thank you so much. We will use this in our auction at our main event so it attracts lots of interest and lots of money!” –Stella Buckingham, Classic Collection Holidays.

Donations can be made via:- www.bmycharity.com/amandaandstellaiceland OR www.virginmoneygiving.com/stellaandamandaiceland

 

LogMeIn HELPS LOCK DOWN CRIME!

Tracking thieves is not listed amongst the applications for LogMeIn but it should be!

This solution, used by Arcom IT and a number of its customers, allows users to access machines (whether they are PC’s or servers) and gain remote control. As long as both machines are on the internet it is possible to transfer files, print remotely, support remote users and increase security by leaving important documents behind when you travel but accessing them remotely whenever required.

It is also possible to have this as an application on your iphone – LogMeIn Ignition gives users one-click access to their entire computer from their desktop to files and data, to programs and more.

Our customers Wightman & Parrish have been using LogMeIn for some time:-
"Logmein is particularly useful when supporting field staff, it saves them having to come to the office or IT staff visiting them at home. It also, often, allows us to offer a quicker resolution to users in the office as we don’t always need to go to their desks, we can deal with software issues from the IT department" -
Erik Morley
IT Manager
Wightman & Parrish
 

When another customer had their laptop stolen recently, we were able to log in and watched as the thief went to their Facebook account giving us all the information the police could need along with a lovely mug shot! Crime doesn’t pay – but LogMeIn certainly does.

EASY GUIDE TO E-COMMERCE

Once upon a time (in 1994) a chap called Jeff was driving from New York to Seattle. It’s a pretty long way, over 2000 miles, so Jeff had some time on his hands. He had just set up a company in his garage and Jeff figured he would use his travel time to formulate a business plan for his ‘little acorn’.

It must have been a productive trip last Christmas Jeff/ Amazon made over £238m profit.

According to the November 2009 report from the Office of National Statistics, UK internet sales rose by a whopping 36.6% from 2007 to 2008. This represents £222.9 billion of business and might explain why so many companies are saying goodbye to the traditional shop front and opting for a bit of cyber success. And who can blame them? There’s no need to pay for a lease, no need for utilities, no need for as many staff, no geographical limits, no 9 to 5, no problem!

Or is there? Being the cynical old folk that we are, we know fairytales are too good to be true. It’s been a long time since the big bad wolf pulled the wool over our eyes.

Security has always been a key issue. Robust hardware, core functionality and quality design is also vital when it comes to an online shop. It may not be made of bricks and mortar but it will still need to stand up to the rigours of thousands of shoppers, shopping baskets and payment transactions if users are going to trust it. An Allurent Online Customer Experience Survey found that poor site navigation, problems with checkout, inadequate browsing capabilities and not enough product details to close the sale meant that half the respondents (51%) dumped the shopping cart even though they had intended to buy products from the site. 80% would never return to the site again
At the end of the day we must face the grim reality. I don’t spend my time driving from Brighton to Bognor in the hope of repeating Jeff’s success. But I do think with the right approach e-commerce can bring your company a happy ever after.
 

Arcom IT will be presenting a webinar this summer on e-commerce and how you can get your online shop ready in time for Christmas. To register your interest email heather.abela@arcomit.co.uk

GET INVOLVED

Ask not what your IT Company can do for you but what you can do for your IT Company!
Here at Arcom we like to keep things interactive so if you have an idea for a seminar or you have an event for the e-shot please do let us know. We’re always happy to help. We always try to give the best advice, before you need it so that your company can be ready. After all, Arcom IT is focused on your business.
 

Hope to see you at the Connected Earth Building next month!

Heather Abela

Arcom IT Marketing Manager

PS: Don’t forget Shahid who is running ten miles a night and living off protein shakes in preparation for the marathon! So far he has raised £375.00, please help him go that extra mile and donate at www.justgiving.com/wokingfc

 

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