Hangouts Meets - Our experience

So, it’s Friday afternoon and the relenting sunshine has already warped my brain as well as my extremely pasty complexion to the point of uselessness when, all of sudden, Joe (our MD) comes to me with a request:

“Nudge (that’s me, don’t ask….), I have a task for you to complete...”

I do love a challenge so, of course, I oblige.

“....our meeting room isn't fit for purpose digitally. When we have visitors, customers or suppliers in they/we can't really present anything to the screen.  I don't want an ugly looking AV faceplate job, I don't want a Smartboard type setup either and I want to know who has that room booked that day”

At this point, Joe pre-empted my armada of questions and said “Assume authorisation and make it happen” and off he went.

So, what was I thinking? The clue is in my job description really, G Suite and Hangouts Meet Hardware (HMH) of course.  We’ve been using G Suite since becoming Google partners 3 years ago and it has made many of our internal processes so much slicker than our previous office solution.

It wasn't until the middle of the next week that I finally got to pay attention to Joe’s request.  Luckily, Madi (our purchasing queen) ordered all the kit with her usual speed and had it with us next day . So with all the gear and some idea I set about the task, starting with our G Suite admin and the HMH app settings. After the best part of 20 minutes, the hangouts meet app was up and running and all of our team had the appropriately named Star Wars meeting room available in their Google calendars to book out. At the same time, it had also automated the management of the room and reporting of its use to all of our admins, which made me look extra clever.

Add to this the fact that, after I’d enrolled the HMH to the domain, (which took a hefty 2 mins to do) using the device license it automatically picked up all of our device settings that we had put in place prior. Even the wireless switched itself off and pushed itself to ethernet which is best practice for HMH.

With the device and the management all sorted, it was time to sort out another problem, WIRES... argh! It’s Wednesday, I've got the TV on the wall with a single HDMI and the power cable hanging down, I've managed to cadge (yorkshire term sorry) some of our new Everblocks (think fully grown Lego blocks) to construct a plinth for the HMH which consists of an ASUS Chromebox, the Speaker Mic, the HMH touchscreen, and the rather impressive Huddly camera. With all the kit on the plinth my ‘war on wires’ began, a quick trip to the local diy supplier proved useful, returning armed with a box to house the power gang and excess wires, 2m of elasticized fabric wire wrap and 1.5m of trunking.  With the war won I stood back and admired my work, Rome wasn't built in a day but our meeting room was, and its impact was instant when our CCNA consultant Chris saw it, “Nudge, I want to do some training with the team, can I use the new kit?” and so it began.

Since the addition of the HMH kit, our meeting room has been used everyday and we haven't had it double booked once thanks to the automation provided through G Suite.  It’s impressed our customers, our suppliers that we have had hangouts with and, more importantly, it’s impressed Joe who can now feel all ‘Lord Sugary’ and hold Monday morning meetings over hangouts from the comfort of his conservatory.

If you would like to know more about Hangouts Meet Hardware or our services to help you take advantage of this element of G Suite you can call our team on 01536 605608 and we will gladly help you get everything you need to make more of your meeting rooms.

We used for this project....

Hangouts Meet Hardware Kit including:

Huddly USB Camera

Hangouts Meet SpeakerMic

ASUS Chromebox (CN65)

Hangouts Meet Touchscreen

Also:

55” Sony TV

Everblock Modular Building System Blocks

D-Link Cable Management Kit

Written by Darrell “Nudge” Raynard - nickname obtained as i can't pronounce Nduja...as in the sausage. I did say not to ask.

IT Security - 5 Usual Suspects....

We promise to get through this whole piece without throwing in 'that' acronym (you know the one....)

DDoS, Data breach, Ransomware, Malware, Social engineering attacks.

IT security is the topic, without doubt currently at the forefront of every IT leader's mind today. However most companies are still more reactive than proactive.

The single biggest threat to companies today is risk management. The brutal truth is that most IT teams are not trained security experts, and may not even be following a comprehensive security strategy that provides the protective measures for the organisation as a whole.

If you are looking to employ a more comprehensive IT security strategy, here are the 5 top considerations for your IT team, and your company as a whole.

  1. Firewall, Antivirus and Endpoint protection.If these aren't in place already,get in the sea.
  2. Take the time to plan out a complete risk management strategy, this is the blueprint.
  3. Acquire some DDoS protection, this helps you avoid brute force attempts
  4. Obtain the very best threat detection suite you can afford, remember this....

                                 EXPENSIVE = CHEAP                                         CHEAP = EXPENSIVE

5. Take the time to really scrutinise your identity and access management. The ability to manage the process revolves on your Log management.

Let's be frank, there's no such thing as a perfect IT security mousetrap. Everyone is vulnerable, it's not a question of if you get attacked but when. It's all about how easily you "hand over the....keys"

Tech Blog: How many users?

Tech Blog: How many users?

OK, time for a  checklist (everyone loves a checklist!)

You want WiFi in your location?                                                        Check

You know the maximum capacity within your venue?                   Check

So you plan your WiFi capacity to = maximum venue capacity, correct?

Yes… but you are likely to over spec and over spend; the reality is a lot more subtly nuanced than this. First you have to consider what type of location you have and what type of people you have within it, below I’ve outlined from highest to lowest user % across a range of locations:

Office Space 90- 100%

Conference 85- 95%

“Sit down leisure” i.e restaurant 25-40%

“Active” Leisure i.e. stadium, venue, museum 15-30%

Obviously these figures are going to vary based on a number of factors including demographic of users, average dwell time, proactive digital engagement etc. The other factor to consider is the difference between concurrent users and associated users. The figures above are based on associated users i.e. devices that have authenticated to the WiFi network. Concurrent users would be defined as  users who are actively passing traffic over the network i.e. streaming video, downloading content etc. Again this will be impacted massively by the type of environment you are providing WiFi in and what's happening; in a conference centre for example during breaks you would expect a flurry of WiFi activity as visitors download content and access web based resources, yet during seminars & talks (at least from a presenters point of view, you’d hope!) that usage would be reduced to just background email refresh.

Most enterprise grade WiFi solutions will present a huge number for concurrent users per radio, and i’m sure all of these have been tested and validated… in lab conditions. In the real world a plethora of factors impact this number, which reinforces the need for an accurate and detailed site survey prior to deployment.  The key questions to ask when planning for capacity is what, where and who;

What will users be doing on the network and what is the per device bandwidth needed at a minimum to enable them to do this?

Where will users be using the network? In a conference centre for example you would assume most users will be using the network in the conference rooms and less in the corridors around the centre

Who will be using the network? This is where separation of networks becomes very important; using the conference centre example you would want to ensure that the presenters get the maximum possible bandwidth, with visitors having connection that is limited. Or in a restaurant with at-table ordering, waiting staff devices would need to be prioritised with guest access of secondary importance.

Ultimately the simple question of “how many users?” is linked with a far larger piece of WiFi design and technology selection. It is therefore vital to ensure that the WiFi partner you select has the experience to select a suitable solution and the engagement and involvement to design it accurately. In short your WiFi partner should be as interested in your business and location as you are!

Haptic Networks have over a decade’s experience in network design, site survey and network/WiFi deployment, we’d be happy to share some knowledge and best practise with you. If you'd like to know more about our WiFi partner of choice Ruckus Wireless - click here to visit our dedicated microsite

Hyper Converged - I don’t know what it is, but I want it!

Hyper Converged - I don’t know what it is, but I want it!

hyper

adjective

informal

  1. hyperactive or unusually energetic.
  2. "eating sugar makes you hyper"

converge

verb

past tense: converged; past participle: converged

  1. tend to meet at a point.
meet, intersect, cross, come together, connect, link up, coincide;

Oh how Life has changed.

12 years in IT, it used to be that everything was about complex lengthy consultancy intensive projects.

“You need a server sir? For virtualisation? Oh bear with me I will marshall my team of consultants. We will put together a bespoke, configured solution, build it, soak test then install it. It will take a week of consultancy time. £10,000, or maybe £20,000, actually probably best to budget for £50,000 because you want a scalable solution, and we do need project management time…. And UAT and OAT…And...”

Servers then became more of a commodity, clients began to send me the specification, usually nicked off Dells configurator, less bothered about vendor “it’s just a box”.

Storage! Another previously heinously complex area, compression, de dupe, connectivity, caching, iops and capacity measurement tools… arggghhhh

Now everything is Converging and its Hyper too, sounds important, like an urgent improvement, its Hyper for goodness sake!

But what is it? I want it but do I need it?

(Its surprisingly simple in concept actually)

Think of server virtualisation.

If you imagine how server infrastructure used to be architected, individual applications with their own physical server and OS, lots of apps meant lots of physical servers.

Then VMWare invent this clever software that pools the resources (processor, ram, disk) of the physical server(s) to allow this pool of resource to be shared among the applications as and when they need it. Taking that vertical stack of infrastructure and spreading it laterally, like someone had smeared the ink of your infrastructure diagram.

Then Citrix look at the beloved PC and how desktop applications are delivered, with all the processing power in ram and processors on the local PC, and they do the same, they take all of those apps and centralise them on the host, software defines how that virtualised desktop is served out to the simple thin client, maximising efficiencies, minimising effort.

So when you think about it, taking the storage, host, san switching and smearing that diagram again, or put another way adding more elements to that lateral pool was the next logical step.

So Hyper Convergence is just virtualisation of the Server, storage and SAN switching… simple.

But I want it, do I need it?

Yes, no, maybe?

Q - I like to sweat my assets, and I’m in a rolling host server refresh cycle, can I have Hyper Converged?

A - Kinda… you can buy Storvirtual VSA licensing, and pool the storage layer, but it’s only half the job, better to await a total refresh imho.

Q - I’ve got 2 years left on my VMWare licensing, can i use this?

A - Yes with Nutanix, Dells VSAN and HPEs Simplivitiy, Not with Scale.

Q - Do I need VMWare or Hyper V?

A - Neither actually, Nutanix and Scale have their own proprietary Hyper Visor (option with Nutanix, mandatory with Scale), even further simplifying the solution.

Q - What’s in the box?

A - Magic elves! - standard high spec servers, flash ssds, and spinning disks, and very clever proprietary software.

Q - Is it complicated?

A - No. and Yes. Relatively simple to size, usually preconfigured, minimising implementation. Modular boxes of clever stuff, that are almost plug and play. Complicated software, but not for the client, Management GUIs are drag and drop, the very definition of simplicity.

So, when you need a new virtual infrastructure, and words like modular, scalable, and above all, simplicity and reduced management are high on the agenda, it might be worth looking at ‘Hyper-ing’ your Convergence.

Good news is, we’re here to help you cut through the terminology and avoid the pitfalls and obstacles that so often appear on this type of project. Give us a nudge, we can help prescribe the right solution for you.

Jamboard - I think, therefore I Jam

At the beginning of 2016 my colleague Nathan and I had a sneak peak of the brand new Google Jamboard at the BETT show, it was so secretive that we were ushered into a secret room on the stand itself where only one person was allowed to present to a maximum of three people and we had to sign an NDA before we could be wowed by the awesomeness that the Jamboard evoked.

In return for our silence we were greeted with a beautiful 55-inch whiteboard style 4k display with very striking red and white colour scheme surrounding.  It wasn't cluttered by wires save the single cable, and the tools consisted of a stylus and an eraser that were both passive and didn't need 50 more batteries than my sons toys will this Christmas.  It was clean, it was vibrant, but did it actually function as well as it looked?

Short answer...Yes, Using the actual hardware was intuitive and very easy, making something bigger was a simple pinch out gesture, the pencil was natural to use and next to no lag meaning even my infantile drawings looked half competent.  Perhaps one of the most impressive parts included in the Jamboard experience is its machine learning aspect, there is nothing more satisfying than drawing a wonky looking circle on the board and watching it turn it into a perfect circle for you.

So do you HAVE to buy a Jamboard to enjoy what the Jamboard service has to offer?

Short answer No...Google has continued with Jamboard their phenomenal ability to create simple, easy to use solutions that just work, and have them collaborate with the core apps which we all know and love in G Suite such as Drive, Docs, Sheets and Slides.  Add to this the fact that you can use the Jamboard app on a phone, tablet, Chrome device running android, or the web means the ability to bring in multiple students both in and outside the classroom is as simple as pushing the app out through your G Suite admin console.

Google are in the next few weeks making the Jamboard service a core G Suite service for G Suite domains, if you haven't yet tried the Jamboard service out yet it's definitely worth exploring for yourself Jamboard Help Centre

10 years on - What makes Haptic tick?

What makes Haptic tick?

As we move ever closer to our 10th birthday, We've all been getting a tad philosophical.

To some, a decade may not be that long a period of time. Personally I feel a decade in the IT industry is akin to a lifetime in others I can think of.

Rapid changes in technology, pressures of a crowded marketplace, post credit crunch Britain, (also more recently ‘Brexit’) Uncertainty about technology budgets, increases in online fraud and cyber attacks as well as subsequent legislation and compliance etc etc have all made the past decade incredibly challenging for a small, independent IT solutions provider.

Alongside those challenges, we have been blessed with a multitude of rewards. Industry recognition, top tier partnerships, broadsheet front page, framework wins and so forth.

Perhaps, however the greatest, most significant reward lives within the challenges themselves.

I feel it is the challenges of the past 10 years that keep us all smiling, keeps us happy and fulfilled within our many roles and keeps us steadfast in this industry where it seems difficult to predict what will happen within the next 24 hours.

It is my strong belief that if the meek shall inherit the Earth, then the IT industry will ultimately belong to organisations that actually pay attention to their surroundings. Above all else, those that have a huge passion for technology and the clients they assist to adopt it.

So what makes Haptic tick? Being a relatively small company where every single Team Member has been selected, praised, and embraced for their unique backgrounds and individuality It's difficult to speak for everyone at once. What we do share however Is unity in the belief that what makes Haptic Networks both an industry presence, as well as a superb place to work comes down to one word:

Kaizen - A Japanese word to represent ‘Continuous improvement’

It’s been at the forefront of our business from the first day we began trading. Shying away from overly competitive mission statements, or needlessly fluffy and ambiguous values we’ve stuck to one word, Kaizen.

Forming the basis of everything we do, every project we complete and every contact that turns into a customer. We constantly assess all parts of our function, processes and strategy to ask ourselves “What can we do better?” or “What can we improve?”

If cash flow is the grim reaper of the SME, then I believe complacency is what presses a bony finger to the brow of the bigger outfits.

Then again it’s easy to for us to say that, we’re still small. We pride ourselves on having no switchboard, no automated promotional messages, on sending a handful of e-shots in our 10 year history, on having an average employment duration of 7 years, zero redundancies and constant year on year growth. It may well change as we continue to expand but I’m committed to ensuring that everything we do, we do with Kaizen in mind.

For us it’s not about packing people into the company strictly for vanity’s sake, if anything the decisions we make have even worked to keep us smaller in terms of headcount. We’re happy with that, it suits us perfectly. The reason being that we are committed to being here, taking pride of place in the IT Industry for the next 10 decades and beyond. Ours is a long term vision, backed with a solid strategy.

So on the approach of our 10th Birthday, I’d like to sincerely thank and praise everyone we’ve encountered on our journey thus far. You’ve all helped craft our humble little vessel.

Receptionists that have hung up when we called to introduce ourselves, vendors that have partnered with us, others that have lied and made life difficult for everyone, cheap websites that sell below cost and continue to let customers down, all the manufacturers of products and solutions - from the fads to the fantastic. Our competitors - ranging from those we respect and admire, to those that profess to dislike one another - the good ones out there (you know who you are!) and the bad apples in the batch - everyone.

Most importantly, the customers that have been working with us for 10 years. From invites to weddings, pictures of newborns, unprompted notes and tokens showcasing thanks and positive feedback and the ongoing friendships that some of our projects lead to. We thank you the most. Kaizen keeps us doing what we do, your support keeps us enjoying the ride.

Here’s to another 10 years.

All the best.

Joe Aucott and the Team at Haptic Networks.

Chrome VS Microsoft: Battle of the Century?

Chrome VS Microsoft?

In the Red Corner….the Mammoth Machine, Microsoft
In the Blue Corner…..the Calculating Kraken, Chrome

AAAA LLLLLETS GET READY TO RUUUUUMMMBLE!!!

Or not, as it so happens.

Having (for donkeys years) watched Microsoft practically dominate technology, it seemed as if the Klitschko-esque Windows and MS Office faced no conceivable threat. As the more recent arrival of Google Chrome steps confidently through the ropes I’d assumed that two of the giants of our time would fight tooth and nail to ensure it held the majority. After the final punch landed, customers would be forced to pick a side and stick with it.

However the more I work with Chrome the more I see they’re doing something unusual for a global tech firm- they accept their limitations and the market as it is rather than the market they want.

Chrome have certainly been clever in their endeavour. They’ve identified that organisations don’t just switch en-masse to a whole new software/hardware ecosystem (especially when they’ve invested heavily over a number of years in Microsoft Infrastructure).
As such they’ve made it easy for customers to have their own way. For example, simple things like Google Active Directory Sync (GADS) which means employees/students simply carry on using their existing login details, and IT admins can still manage users with their existing group structure.
Using Office 365? Like it? Think this puts the kybosh on Chrome?....Think again.

As we know Office 365 was designed with mobility in mind; one user, many devices, a Chrome device (be it a Chromebook or a Chromebox) is just another device; From Google Apps you can pre-install all the major Microsoft applications onto the Chrome device- sure they’re web based but the difference between Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook online and a locally installed program, is negligible.

Most importantly this means users aren’t confronted with the ‘dreaded change’, they are met with the same familiar, friendly icons, same features and most importantly, files in the same place.
Sure there is a Google App to do just about anything, including several which are arguably better and easier to use than the Microsoft versions, but the fact is that if you wanted to have a Chromebook and never actually use a program with the letter G in it you can.

Effectively Chrome OS is providing an option for:

Ultimately Chromebooks give a low cost, high performance, minimal time investment solution to mobile devices for users, with the flexibility to pick and mix and which aspects of Googles offerings you use and which Microsoft products you continue to utilise. It’s less a matter of ‘pick a team’ and more of a group hug than you might imagine.

to read more about Chromebooks click here

If you'd like to trial some Chromebook devices contact us here

Content Consumption VS Content Creation: The Battle of the Devices

Haptic Networks recently announced that we are now one of a small handful of Google partners in the UK.

Recent independent study has highlighted that Chromebooks have become the fastest selling mobile device in the U.S and we have been busy discussing their benefits to clients in the UK market.

Regular feedback we hear from customers includes "we are an Apple house" or "We prefer touchscreen tablets".

This post aims to briefly outline some key differentiators between Chromebooks and tablet devices and why comparing them to one another comes at the cost of their relative benefits.

Tablets

Although some users (as well as Apple’s marketing machine) may disagree, tablets are designed primarily for content consumption. Designed to keep you scrolling for hours at a time, flipping between apps consuming the information supplied. These are consumer based units that have been adopted by the commercial and public sectors for use in a work environment.

Do they help in the day to day work environment? In some ways, certainly.

Do they offer benefits over a laptop and PC? Again yes they do, ease of use is a big thing for today's pupil or professional.

Can you quickly create a new document with ease and distribute this to a colleague half way across the world?  On the majority of touch screen tablets this will be more time consuming and in some instances impossible.

Most users of iPad or any other tablet will also possess a Notebook/PC alongside a Tablet for this exact reason.

Who reading this has attempted to write a long email using the on screen keyboard of their tablet? If you’re anything like me (chubby digits) it’s a long process of constantly battling tiny keys, awkward layouts not to mention the repetitive undoing of the "useful" auto-correct features that tablets today offer.

Content consumption is great for home users, it also has a place in Business/Education…….Content creation? Now that is the key to unlocking a device’s potential.

Chromebooks

In the US, Chromebooks have seen a huge surge in demand and deployment. There is good reason for this – Customers, whether professional or pupil, there exists a need to be able to use Applications, browse with ease and of course create documents when required. Chromebooks are made for content creation which in essence is what our work and Education relies heavily upon.

Whether you’re creating quotes or proposals, assignments and development projects all of this is made simple with Chromebooks. Factor in the benefits of a fully functional App store too and the user receives the best of both worlds.

Content is pretty much useless unless you can share and access it, with Chromebooks you can keep your content in the cloud so you don’t even need your Chromebook to access it, a simple username and password at a desktop anywhere in the world will recover the information you need.

Below I have briefly covered the benefits of Chomebooks over Laptops and Tablets.

  • Replacing PC’s with Chromebooks can cut your total cost of ownership by almost 75% over 3 years.
  • They feature an easy to manage web based OS that is incredibly secure, fast, reliable, and easy to use.
  •  Centralised, web based device management means lower total cost of ownership:
  • 1. Update an entire fleet of Chromebooks with just a few clicks
  • 2. Preinstall and block web apps, track assets, create user groups and more
  • Battery life of 6.5 hours to 15 hours plus - lasts an entire work/school day
  • Spend more time working and less time managing devices - Chromebooks switch on in 8 seconds
  • New operating system released every 6 weeks with no need for backups, patches, data migration or reimaging - This means you are always on the latest and greatest operating system regardless of the age of the Chromebook
  •  Seamlessly integrate with the Google Apps for Education FREE Suite of tools
  • £19 Software Management (Edu) fee per device for life includes 24/7 support directly from Google Enterprise.
  • They have a Qwerty keyboard as standard No need to send my fingers to boot camp….

It's also important to remember just how much of the Chrome OS happens without the user ever needing to lift a finger. These machines are updated on an almost monthly basis, just like the Chrome browser for your laptop or PC.

Based in Northamptonshire, UK. Haptic Networks supply both the Google Chrome Management Platform and the Chromebook devices themselves to Schools, Colleges and Businesses across the UK. We also provide on and off site training to aid the transition and adoption of new technologies.

Our tech team implement the solution from a learning perspective and how it benefits the individual site and their teaching experience.

We provide a fully managed 1:1 scheme for Chromebooks and other mobile devices for schools looking to roll out hardware to all students. Our offering incorporates everything from parent notifications, School payment portals and full insurance and repair servicing.

For more information, or to ask us for a Chromebook trial click here

Social WiFi - Increases sales and customer experience

Do you want to offer your customers and guests a free, easy to access, safe WiFi experience?
Would your business benefit from user data and the ability to send offers and incentives directly to customer's smartphones and tablets?

Northamptonshire WiFi Specialists Haptic have devised a Social WiFi solution that offers business owners a genuine win/win outcome.

Our solution involves no up-front costs, and no requirement for IT skills. We handle absolutely everything as a paid-monthly managed service.

To find out more click here to contact us

If you'd like to know more about what Ruckus WiFi can do for your retail organisation click here to view our dedicated Ruckus wireless microsite