Credit card fraud is a major issue that has been plaguing merchants for years. The theft of credit card numbers and other sensitive personal data costs businesses and their customers millions of pounds annually. As technology advances to thwart the efforts of would-be thieves, so does the technology hackers use to breach security and steal this information. As larger corporations make headway in credit card theft prevention, many hackers now focus their efforts on smaller business who may not have the financial resources to properly protect their systems at the level of the bigger companies. The good news is, that theft prevention does not have to be a huge expense.

With the majority of attacks focusing on small business, there has been an increase in need for these companies to become PCI compliant. PCI or PCI DSS, is the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and it is a set of requirements that can help businesses, both large and small, protect the sensitive data they store. By maintaining a secure environment for the processing, storage and transmittal of payment card information, companies can protect their customers as well as their own bottom line.

All companies in the UK, regardless of size, sales, or amount of employees, if they accept credit card payment, must be PCI compliant. The cost of not becoming PCI compliant can be monetary penalties, legal fees and the termination of the ability to accept credit cards. This is not to mention the cost in lost sales, customers and a damaged reputation.

Becoming PCI compliant can be a simple process. AGT can help identify the types of cardholder data your business is processing and storing. We can assess and take inventory of the data and troubleshoot for any vulnerabilities in the system. We can fix potential breaches and advise you on the proper steps necessary to remediate the problem.

At AGT Computer Services we can help your business become PCI compliant. For as little as £45.00, AGT can get you set up or we can conduct a full-site survey and offer a free estimate of the cost to get your business fully compliant.  If you have a business in Blackpool, Lytham, Preston, Fylde or the surrounding area, give us a call. We are a Microsoft Silver Partner for Small and Midmarket solutions and can work with you to meet all of your personal computer or company’s IT needs.

At long last the launch date of Windows 10 has been announced. We wrote about the impending 2015 arrival of Windows 10 last month on this blog, but we did not have an official launch date. Now we do. In an announcement made in January of this year by Terry Myerson, operating system chief for Microsoft, the coming arrival of the new system came with the promise of free upgrades. Any current user of Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows Phone 8.1 can take advantage of this free gift, but they need to do so within one year of the launch and that date is 29 July, 2015. Myserson has stated that Windows 10 is more of a service than simply a piece of software, and as such the company will continue to provide free updates for the life of the device.

There’s something else that residents in the area of Blackpool, St. Annes and Lytham can take advantage of. Let AGT Computer Services install the new Windows 10 upgrade on your devices and ensure that all of your important files and data are transferred properly. For a reduced fee of £30 you can rest easy knowing we will make sure all your documents get transferred without a hitch. For an additional charge we will also provide system backups as well.

Making the switch to Windows 10 is permanent and there are some hardware and software requirements that may apply depending on your device, but don’t put it off. Get your device to us at an AGT Computer Services location near you and let us get you up and running on the new operating system with all of your documents and files intact. As we mentioned last month, there are many compelling reasons to make the switch to Windows 10. It’s free, of course, but that deal is even better if you are one of the many Microsoft users who decided to skip Windows 8.0 and 8.1, because you can still skip those versions and jump right into Windows 10. The new operating system also provides a more secure browser and a new version of Outlook featuring MS Word capabilities makes for a vastly superior email experience. Updates are also more customisable which gives you more freedom to tailor the system to the your needs or the needs of your company.

At AGT Computer Services, we are ready for the launch date and we want to make sure our customers are too. If you have any questions about how we can get you the free upgradeto Windows 10 give us a call. We serve the Blackpool, Lancashire, Fylde, Lytham and surrounding areas with cloud storage, cyber security, and system upgrades. We are a Microsoft Silver Partner for Small and Midmarket solutions and can work with you to meet all of your company’s IT needs.

Things are starting to get a little more connected in the area of Blackpool and Fylde. For too long both residents and businesses in rural Britain have had to get by on a lack of fibre optic broadband. These areas are called “not spots,” which may be a clever play on “hot spots,” but there’s nothing funny about it if you live and do business in these areas. While there is much to be said for living a peaceful and pastoral life, it can be frustrating for those who wish to connect to the Internet at a faster speed than they are able. The good news is that the area of Whitehills business park, located at Junction 4 on the M55, finally has access to fibre optic broadband. Fibre optic is now available with estimated speeds of 50mbs. This is quite a boost from previous speeds of about 1mbs.

The Whitehills business park covers over 700 acres with two and a half million square feet of industrial and office floorspace. Whitehills business park provides homes to a mix of roughly one hundred different companies, including the facilities of the Department for Work and Pensions, National Savings & Investments and NST Travel Group. Along with these companies the area is also the site of the Premier Inn hotel, a Fayre & Square pub and restaurant, Tesco superstore and several car dealerships including BMW Mini, Vauxhall, Chevrolet, Honda, Suzuki and Saab. The residential portion of Whitehills includes Redrow Homes which is a part of the Whitehills Meadows housing scheme. With all of these businesses and residents in need of fibre optic broadband service, AGT Computer Services is available to help all of them get connected with affordable rates.

If you do business or live in Whitehills business park or the surrounding area, AGT Computer Services can install fibre optic broadband for you to get you connected faster. Our prices for installation are £225.00 for a Business Class Router, £99.00 for new phone line installation and a £25.00 activation fee. Line rentals are £17 per month and fibre is £25 per month.

Call us today and we can get you set up. We also offer cloud and data storage solutions in the Blackpool, Lancashire, Fylde and Lytham area as well as cyber security solutions and Windows migration. We are a Microsoft Silver Partner for Small and Midmarket solutions and can work with you to meet all of your company’s IT needs.

In case you haven’t heard, Windows 10 will be a free upgrade for existing Windows users—as long as you don’t procrastinate. You need to act fast, and by fast we mean within one year of the as-yet-to-be-announced launch date. This bit of information came straight from the top when Microsoft Operating System Chief, Terry Myerson made the announcement earlier in the year. That’s good news for those people currently using Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1. While any change can be disruptive, in the quickly evolving tech world it is par for the course, and there are several compelling reasons to embrace this upgrade.

Once users make the upgrade to Windows 10, there’s no going back, not that anyone would want to. In addition to the free switch, users will also receive updates for the supported lifetime of their devices. Microsoft does warn that there may be hardware and software requirements that will apply, and availability may vary by particular device (and there’s some other fine print available on the Windows 10 site if you’re intrigued) but users would be wise to take advantage of this year-long opportunity for upgrades.

The free upgrade was no doubt inspired by a preference for some users to stick with Windows 7 after hearing reports from those who made the upgrade to Windows 8 and were less than thrilled with the new operating system. This threw a potential roadblock in Microsoft’s desire to be viewed as a service-centric company. The very mention of the word free has a tendency to generate interest, however, but Windows 10 also happens to be a better system. Here are a few reasons why upgrading to Windows 10 is appealing, with or without the word free attached to it.

1. Skip ahead. If you were one of the wary ones that avoided Windows 8.0 and 8.1, you can skip them completely and upgrade straight to 10.

2. More Security. Windows 10 has a much more secure browser than its predecessors and features greater compatibility with web pages and apps using legacy applications and data.

3. Improved Email. Outlook features MS Word capabilities making it easier to perform tasks like adding tables and inserting images into individual emails.

4. Customise Updates. Windows updates can be customised by individual IT managers and departments based on their specific needs. Updates can be performed according to user and type.

5. New Laptop Features. Laptops with precision touchpads will have new gestures when navigating open applications.

Those are just a few of the many good reasons to embrace the change. At AGT Computer Services, we eagerly anticipate the launch on the new system, and hope it’s here by summer. Until that time, we can help address any questions or concerns you may have with incorporating Windows 10 into your business. We serve the Blackpool, Lancashire, Fylde, Lytham and surrounding areas with cloud storage, cyber security, and system upgrades. We are a Microsoft Silver Partner for Small and Midmarket solutions and can work with you to meet all of your company’s IT needs.

There are many reasons to outsource your IT needs. For many small businesses there comes a time when their IT needs grow beyond their in-house capabilities. In the ever changing area of Information Technology, sometimes companies struggle to stay on top of upgrades and new software applications. The answer for many lies in the outsourcing of these IT needs to a reliable third-party resource like AGT Computer Services.

There are many benefits to be gained by outsourcing IT for everything from database and application management to data storage and troubleshooting technical issues. Many IT Directors may feel that outsourcing is an indictment of their talents and may be a blow to their ego, but it can actually free up their time and resources so they can be better used on expanding the business as a whole. While an in-house team may feel they can handle any problem that comes their way, or they may feel uneasy about surrendering control to an outside entity, the benefits can far outweigh any of the perceived drawbacks. One of the biggest reasons to outsource IT services is simple economics. Outsourcing saves companies money. 

When a business outsources their IT needs to a company like AGT, they will start to see savings on the cost of hardware maintenance and are also guaranteed to have quick access to new applications as they become available. They stay current on upgrades as well. By outsourcing some or all of these tech services, businesses can make their IT costs more predictable and therefore more manageable. Companies can also avoid paying high licensing costs on software applications.

When employees leave the company this can many times leave employers in the lurch until they find a suitable replacement, which can be challenging enough. When you outsource your services to a trusted company like AGT Computer Services, our knowledge and expertise doesn’t walk out the door. Consequently, your business can spend less time training staff and more time moving the company forward. Recruitment and training costs are lowered as well as the training time necessary to learn upgrades and new applications. An outsourced IT team can work in tandem with in-house employees to form a solid team while taking up less space and other resources. A third party support team can provide assistance at all hours and can help business owners rest a little easier at night knowing they are protected around the clock. We can solve problems quickly and remotely.

Many companies are not able, or even willing to outsource all of their IT needs, and that’s fine. Whatever the company is comfortable with, there is a solution. If you think your company might be ready to outsource some or all of their IT needs, AGT is ready to discuss what we can do to serve you. If you have a goal in mind, let us know and we can help you reach it. At AGT Computer Services we provide IT support and cloud storage to our customers in the Blackpool, Lancashire, Lytham and Fylde areas. We allow your employees to focus on your business while we focus on your IT issues.

Microsoft has millions of users and by extension millions of customers. At AGT Computer Services we know this as well as anybody, because many of these customers — especially in the area of Blackpool, Lancashire, Lytham and Fylde — are our customers too. That’s why we have always strived to provide the same high level of service they expect when they use Microsoft products. Which is why at AGT, we are proud and honored to have achieved recognition as a Microsoft Silver Partner for Small and Midmarket solutions.

Being a Silver Partner means that we have had to demonstrate a level of expertise in Microsoft products and we have had to prove our competency as a Midmarket Solutions Provider. To receive this recognition, we were required to complete a series of competency exams and acquire the necessary certification. As Silver Partners we can provide our customers even better service, offer more solutions and improve our support.

Core requirements of the program include customer references, business-focused competency assessments and technical credentials earned through exams. For us, it’s not just about certificate and exams, however. We take pride in helping our customers meet the challenges of IT, small business and cloud data storage, and now as a Silver Partner, this certification places us in the top five percent of Microsoft’s partners across the globe. When our customers see that we have received this certification, they know we are a company with the best interests of their business at heart, and not just from a tech perspective.

As the needs of our customers change over time, the business environment must evolve right along with it. Our team of highly qualified professional IT consultants share our knowledge and expertise with our customers. We have successfully met the challenges presented as software applications change, from Office 365 and Windows 8 to Windows Server 2012. AGT hopes to continue to excel and be a leader in the profession and to help our clients stay connected and keep their data safe.

We are excel at finding solutions to our customers needs as they build their businesses and move forward. AGT Computer Services serves the communities of Blackpool, Lancashire, Lytham, Fylde and surrounding areas. By providing viable IT solutions to our customers, we have helped many small businesses stay connected to the Internet, perform important cloud backups and migrate to Office 365. We want to continue to showcase our abilities, demonstrate our commitment and be a leader in new technology. Now we are even better equipped to do that.

The trend towards working from home has increased along with the advancements in technology that make this option possible. This can many times be a better situation for both employees and their employers. Allowing employees to work from home can save companies money in energy costs and leasing office space and working from home offers a lot of flexibility to employees.

Workers in the UK have a right to make a request to work from home or to have flexible work schedules. This allows workers with families, especially those with young children, to make time for their activities, or take them to and from school. It’s not just parents who can benefit from flexible working. Flexible start and finish times provide options for juggling work life and personal commitments. The flexible working law gives all employees the right to request to work from home so long as they can come to terms with their employer.

To make a request, workers are required to have been employed by the company for a minimum of 26 weeks. Employers are required to deal with such requests in a timely manner. Of course, employers are not bound to honor a specific request. They are simply required to consider it and render a decision. The employer may deny the request if they feel it is not in their best interest and the worker can make an appeal to an employment tribunal.

The flexible working law can include several types. Job sharing allows for two people to perform a single job while splitting the hours. Working part-time hours is an option as is working compressed hours, which means working longer hours over fewer days. Flexitime allows for employees to choose their starting and ending times, although these times need to be agreed upon by employers. Annualised hours allow employees to work a certain amount of hours over the course of a year with flexibility about when those hours are. Staggered hours may see an employee work at different times than their coworkers. Phased retirement allows employees to choose the age at which they will retire. A reduction in hours is also an option for these employees.

In order to take advantage of this law, an employee must make a statutory application where he or she puts their request in writing after which the employer has three months to make a decision. Upon agreement, the necessary changes are made to the employee contract. If the employer declines, they must state their reasons in writing and the employee can then make a complaint to an employment tribunal.

Working from home can be accomplished with a remote desktop, a VPN or virtual private network and software such as Teamviewer or LogMeIn. These SaaS (Software as a Service) companies use cloud storage to allow people to work remotely while staying connected.

If your request to work remotely has been granted by your employer, you’ll need to make sure your home office is suitably equipped. You’ll need a reliable network connection and proper IT support. AGT Computers can help set your home office up in Preston, Lytham or Blackpool. Call us today.

  Ransomware is the latest, and quite possibly the most devious type of malware developed in recent memory. The name comes from the virus’s ability to infect a computer system and either encrypt or lock its files. The files will then stay locked and reman inaccessible for the owner until a ransom has been paid either in a cash voucher or in Bitcoins. CryptoLocker is one such version of the malware that uses infected emails and botnets to infiltrate Microsoft Windows and encrypt files stored on the computer’s local or mounted network. Using public-key cryptography, the ransomer holds the private key to unlock the files which it will provide the victim once the ransom has been forked over. There is no guarantee, however, that once the hacker has been paid, the key will be provided, and the ransom can be as high as £237.

Thankfully, Windows users can breathe a collective sigh of relief knowing that security experts have devised a way for victims of CryptoLocker to access a free key to restore their files. This malware is thought to have affected half a million Microsoft users, but security agents working in a number of law enforcement agencies across the world, were able to obtain a copy of the hackers’ database of victims and get a glimpse into how their operation functions. This group is also responsible for generating a strain of malware called Gameover Zeus. This trojan horse malware has been used to distribute CryptoLocker to machines and infect Microsoft systems.

The CryptoLocker virus first appeared late in 2013 and is thought to have involved 500,000 thousand victims who were asked to pay the ransom, usually in Bitcoins, in 72 hours or risk the permanent loss of their files. While it is believed that less than 2% of the victims actually paid the ransom the gang, which is thought to have originated in Russia, may have netted as much as $3 million from the scheme.

The Decrypt CryptoBlocker website is one way for victims to unlock their files, but of course the major lesson to be learned here is not a new one: Always back up your files. These types of malware will surely adapt to any new efforts to combat them. At AGT Computer Services, we have already encountered one such infected Microsoft Windows system where our decryption efforts did not work. Performing a routine Cloud back up will help mitigate damages in the event of a ransomware infection like CryptoLocker, or any virus for that matter. Installing Cloud anti-virus protection will also help prevent such an infection from happening in the first place.

AGT Computer Services provides IT support to both individuals and businesses in Blackpool, Lytham, and Preston. We can help combat this malware and enable you to restore all files in the event of an attack. We can provide your systems with patches to keep you protected with the latest updates. Don’t pay the ransom, and don’t fall victim to the CryptoLockers or rely on CrytpoBlockers to come to the rescue if you do.

Now hold on a minute, back up. We couldn’t let such an important event as World Backup Day go by without mentioning it. World Backup Day commences on 31st March this year which gives us an opportunity to remind both individuals and business owners about the importance of backing up their files. It is estimated that as much as 30 percent of computer users have never backed up their files. Ever. If a disaster struck that left their hard drives permanently disabled, how could they ever recover their files? They couldn’t, and as a result they would lose family photos, important documents and other files they will be hard pressed to replace. This is bad enough for an individual, but if you’re a business, you can’t afford to lose your customers’ data, or your own for that matter. It is absolutely necessary to perform regular system backups to protect yourself and others.

You never know when a disaster may strike. It could be a case of severe weather that floods equipment, or an electrical storm that causes damage to a network — even a flood could sink your data files. It’s hard to put a monetary value on all that lost data, but it would be quite expensive. To combat this, all of your system software and information should be backed up on a regular basis. Performing a cloud backup is well advised, and using a professional service such as AGT Computer Services can help safeguard your systems. USB hard drives and rotating hard drives may not offer enough protection by themselves. Even using a fireproof safe to protect a portable drive may not be enough to protect against damage entirely. Storing files in the cloud is added protection from any harmful event that may occur. A cloud backup can either involve a subscription backup service or an off-site FTP server with the backup performed over the Internet.

World Backup Day is a good time to start thinking about the future of data storage as well. Over the course of the next few years, data storage will be seeing a transition in format. 512-byte sector hard disk drives will be changing over to 4,096-byte sector drives. This may present an issue with users of Microsoft’s Small Business Server 2011. This sector, also known at 4K or 4KB, is more reliable and has an increased capacity, but this may cause issues with compatibility in current software applications and operating systems. If you use Windows operating systems it will be important to stay on top of this issue to ensure a smooth transition.

While World Backup Day may serve as a reminder of the importance of performing backups, but this should not be considered an annual event. Small businesses should be backing up their files continuously. If you operate a business in Blackpool, Preston or Lytham, contact AGT Computer Services to find out how we can help you protect your systems and data. Everyone who uses a computer should consider every day to be World Backup Day. We do.

At AGT, we recently had the opportunity to virtualise the entire hardware structure of one of our clients. The system was no longer covered under warranty, but rebuilding the server and domain was not practical. By virtualising the existing hardware, we were able to make a complete clone of the current setup, which we then moved onto new hardware. This eliminated the risk and danger of a failure in the older hardware. Virtualisation has other benefits as well, from reduced energy costs to improved uptime. The combined pros of virtualising your hardware far outweigh the cons. Below are 5 benefits for virtualising old hardware to help you decide if virualisation is right for you and your business.

Rapid Provisioning and Simple Deployment  – Deploying a virtual machine is much easier and faster than deploying a physical counterpart. Rapid provisioning is possible by using a storage area network, or SAN, to perform a clone of virtual machines. Rapid deployment and provisioning will help streamline your operation and make it more productive.

Lower Costs and Strengthen Your Bottom Line  – Creating virtual servers saves money, that’s the bottom line. When your company is able to host multiple virtual servers on a single physical machine, this eliminates the need for multiple physical machines. It’s just simple math. Reducing the amount of hardware your business operates will reduce costs and strengthen your bottom line.

Lower Your Energy Usage –  As energy prices rise, it is very possible that energy costs may exceed your hardware costs over the lifetime of your system. Using virutalisation to consolidate servers will yield a significant reduction in energy costs over time. This can add up to big savings for small businesses. It’s a simple equation of less physical mass equallingless energy consumption.

Improve Uptime  – Virtualization can improve the uptime and ensure your servers are running at maximum capacity. Increased uptime means increased customer satisfaction. A satisfied client base is the foundation of any successful and well-run company.

Upgradability – Upgrading hardware, while necessary, can be a time consuming endeavor. Virtual servers, however, can be upgraded quite easily by simply adding more RAM and hard drive space. When upgrades are performed seamlessly, your business can easily take advantage of the latest developments in hardware and provide added value to your customers and clients.

At AGT Computer Services, we can help you with all of your virtualisation needs so you can streamline your operation and save money. Fast and simple upgrades, rapid deployment and improved uptime are reasons enough to make the switch. Reducing the physical space that your business needs to dedicate to hardware and servers is just one more advantage of virtualisation. Virtual operating systems are the future of computing so there’s no reason not to virtualise. Enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that any damage caused by a failure of physical data storage and network servers will be mitigated. Contact AGT Computer Services and find out how we can help you make the transition to virtual hardware.