!NEW!

Groupsupport are currently beta testing the latest iteration of the world famous Buildsoft estimating and take-off program: ESW2010.

The new product comes with a new feature set, an improved set of support and maintenance agreements and more dynamic uses than ever before!  Even existing clients will be impressed with the improvements - to say nothing of New clients.

See here for more details - or contact us on 08 9277 1768 for a demonstration.

Replacing Server RAM regularly.

Have you ever thought about the electronic "wear and tear" on RAM? We know that the thousands of transactions a second passing through these memory modules (being written and read) causes heat. What many people didn't realise until recently was the electronic damage done over time.

A copy of the full article (and all the techo speak) is here. To summarise, the 50nm DRAM chips were monitored in massive Google server farms (thousands of servers providing internet search facilities).  Scientists found that error rates steadily grew on the DIMM chips, eventually bringing the server down with critical errors.  Some preventative measures (like Error Correction Control) are being put in place, but even these may not be sufficient.

The final outcome seems to be that servers need to have RAM replaced after periods of time, some suggest every 2 years depending upon the critical nature of the machine (and the services it provides).

Worthy of note, and a point to make when planning hardware maintenance.

Groupsupport offer hardware maintenance plans to assist you in your operations - call or email us (contact page).

Sybiz Business Intelligence Centre (BIC)

ARN online magazine (by the IDG group) has recently completed a review on the Sybiz Business Intelligence Centre (BIC).

They said it fully integrates into all Sybiz accounting, payroll and HR platforms, incorporates key modules from Alchemex, an international company specializing in BI for SMEs. They said the BIC also includes pre-formatted reports (which get organisations up and running in minutes) and can also be easily tailored to customers' unique needs. Once established, these reports run without the need for human intervention.

ARN appear to be pleasantly surprised with regard to the ease at which BIC was able to be implemented, the time taken to be fully utlitised (mere minutes) and the benefits of ready to exploit off the shelf reports included with the standard package.

The BIC includes pre-formatted reports that can be either run as standard or tailored to customers' unique needs - any report can be configured to run manually or be scheduled.  Sybiz BIC naturally exports to Excel format (most people are familiar / accustomed to working with) - which means managers can leverage the reports from Day 1. Users also have access to additional online resources, including search options, discussion forums, you tube instructional videos, training and a range of other tools that help customers gain full mastery of BI tools.

The modules include management dashboards, management account packs, Sales Master, Purchase Master and Inventory Master. The suite of tools is specifically geared to the needs of SMEs to boost cashflow, maximise human resources and identify growth opportunities.. 

Read more in the full article here  (http://www.arnnet.com.au/article/265842/sybiz_brings_bi_smes)

ARN is not associated with Groupsupport or Sybiz Software.

When was the last time you tested your backups? 

Are you sure that the backups you're taking are of the correct files, are retrievable and go back far enough?  How far can you go back? Do you keep yearly backup files to match your tax record retentions?

Do you have a plan for recovery of data in the event of a theft of equipment?  What happens to your business if the office is not usable (flood, fire, chemical or quarantine)? Have you thought about these things, or even better do you have a plan of action.

Most businesses don't need much - but they need a plan.  Some of the best plans are simply the right tools, prepared in advance, available at the right time - a list of contacts and phone numbers, information held off site that can be accessed.

Groupsupport can help with these and many more business continuity issues.  Contact Dal or Peter to discuss - here are our details.