A little revolution of common sense for small businesses.

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‘Business in a Box’; all the IT your company needs, for less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day

Novatech, in partnership with Microsoft®, have today launched ‘Business in a Box’ a new concept in IT for business, specifically designed for young, growing companies and business start-ups.  The combination of award-winning hardware, software and support, all bundled in a metaphorical box, is designed to alleviate the cost and worry of installing a simple and secure IT infrastructure.

The most common technology problems young companies face are not only the initial outlay required to buy a scalable and efficient network, but also the cost of professional set-up, maintenance and support.  They also need simple and secure remote access to their data and documents anytime, anywhere, safe in the knowledge that it will backed up automatically and regularly.

Business in a Box is the first product for young dynamic companies, either moving out of the garage or spare room and into their first proper office or just growing quickly.  The ‘Box’ contains a basic server with Microsoft® Small Business Server 2011 Essentials, their chosen number of laptops or desktops with Windows® 7 Professional and Microsoft® Office 2010 Professional pre-installed, a printer and a comprehensive range of warranties. In addition, they also get free installation and set-up by one of Novatech’s trusted partners and free tech support for life.

Most importantly the Box and its contents can be leased, minimising capital expenditure, and making a state of the art IT network a manageable monthly cost equivalent to the team’s coffee bill.

Novatech has been helping businesses large and small for twenty five years and they know better than most what kind of IT companies need to get started and, more importantly what they need to stay secure and efficient.

“We always get the same three messages from companies no matter what their size”, says Novatech’s Sales & Marketing Director Dave Wybourne.  “It has to be simple to set up and install. It has to be cost-effective and any problems have to be sorted quickly and without fuss.  Ultimately they all want the peace of mind that it is going to work unobtrusively so that they can get on with their jobs, and that there’s a friendly expert on hand when trouble does occur.”

The Eureka moment came, according to Wybourne, over a conversation with Microsoft® “I was explaining how, when I was a young entrepreneur, I was always frustrated by the palaver it took to get a modern office up and running.  I would get wound-up and moan that ‘I just want to buy what I need in one box and have someone come in and make it work’, and there was never anyone who could do that without charging insane prices. What developed from that conversation with Microsoft® was a brand new concept and partnership between the Portsmouth PC manufacturer and the world’s biggest software company.

Wybourne explained, “It’s the godsend I never had when I started out – a simple package of great hardware, at a realistic price and quality, local tech support.   It gives you all the technology you need to get your business moving, to stay secure and effective, for less than the cost of a cup of coffee a day; which is probably the most crucial part.

”We specialise in building computers to order, so there’s plenty of flexibility to make sure customers get exactly the right machines for their work at the right price, but the concept of a truly complete IT package is one that is proving very popular. ”

He went on, “Novatech can help a young company plan what it is going to need to keep it running smoothly and efficiently as it grows.  We can not only give a cost-effective solution that ensures peace of mind, but also the re-assurance that every aspect of your IT is kept secure, up-to date and functioning properly. The procurement of your IT really doesn’t need to be daunting. Novatech can guide you through the process to ensure that you get the right equipment, installed and working, quickly, simply and on budget.”

It takes people to make technology work.  And we are those people.

novatech.co.uk/businessinabox

Every new business machine can work faster and more efficiently with the new 3rd generation Intel Core processors

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Novatech is one of the first manufacturers to include the new 3rd generation Intel Core processors in PCs across its range so you can work smarter and brighter no matter which machine you choose.

ivy bridge 3rd generation

Need a smaller, lighter machine that will work faster and use less power? 

That’s what the new 3rd generation Intel Core processors will give you and your business.  The new processors – code-named Ivybridge – are a major advance in what your CPU can do, the speed at which it can do it - giving more computational power while using less energy.

Saves money by working faster and more efficiently.

On average 3rd generation means about 20% more processor performance using 20% less power, and power means electricity and that in turn means money of course.

The simple example is if your old car did 50mph at 40 mpg at, your new one equipped with 3rd generation Intel Core processors will do 60mph at 50 mpg.  So if your business has numerous cars doing numerous miles a year, the benefits accumulate fast.

As with previous ranges, the new 3rd generation Core processors have and an integrated GPU (graphics processing unit) built in, rather than a separate graphics card, which again give some of the biggest advantages – both visually and under the bonnet.  Graphics, videos and imagery not only load faster and play more smoothly, but also are richer and more vibrant.

Novatech is one of the first manufacturers to include the new 3rd generation Intel Core processors in PCs across its range.

What will it do for my business?

Improve Business Productivity

  • Run demanding programs concurrently, whilst maintaining system responsiveness.
  • Keep systems protected, efficient, and manageable without impacting productivity.

Work Faster

  • Increase the number of transactions that can be processed simultaneously by your PC.
  • Keep systems protected, efficient, and manageable without impacting productivity.
  • Provide faster response times for Internet and e-commerce applications, enhancing your customers experience.

Future Proof

  • Utilise existing 32-bit application technologies while maintaining 64-bit future readiness.
  • Provide headroom for future business growth and new solution capabilities.

 

Upgrade to Intel 3rd generation Intel® Core™ Today…

With responsive performance and incredible processing speed, the 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processor family should be the first choice to power your business PCs. 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors deliver top-of-the-line performance for your desktop or laptop computer, so you can keep up with your most demanding tasks.

Features:

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology: provides even greater performance when needed on PC’s powered by 3rd generation Intel® Core™ processors. Intel® Turbo Boost Technology 2.0 automatically allows processor cores to run faster – meaning you can get more done at any one time without your PC slowing down or crashing.

Intel HD Graphics: on 3rd generation Intel ® Core™ processors is twice as fast as Intel HD Graphics on 2nd generation Intel® Core™ processors. The graphics engine and media processing is embedded onto the processor to deliver life-like graphics without the need for a separate graphics card – saving you money.

Intel’s Mark Bohr gives the boffin’s explanation of 22nm – what the ever-shrinking Intel processors really means.

 

Headteacher’s guide to … inspiring young developers

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The Guardian’s ICT Leadership site says then it comes to the next generation of internet entrepreneurs, teaching schoolchildren how to use basic software is no way to ‘ignite passion’. Is it time to add computer programming to the curriculum?

ICT | Students working on computers in school computer lab

The UK’s “great computing heritage” is being short-changed as a result of computer science falling off the ICT curriculum, according to Google’s Eric Schmidt.
Photograph: Echo/Getty Images/Cultura RF

“I was flabbergasted to learn that today, computer science isn’t even taught as standard in UK schools,” said Google’s Eric Schmidt at last summer’s Edinburgh TV Festival. “Your IT curriculum focuses on teaching how to use software, but gives no insight into how it’s made. That is just throwing away your great computing heritage.”

Is he right? Many people learn to drive a car, but do not need to be engineers, so why is computing any different? Schmidt’s comments partly reflect a generational difference. Those born like him in the 50s saw the birth of personal computers, and in the early days you had to be a programmer to do anything useful with them. Now computers are ubiquitous, the essential skills are not programming but how to operate them sensibly and use standard software.

Even if the curriculum does not require it, it is possible to squeeze in some computer science as an addition or to offer after-school clubs. There are some excellent resources, one being the Scratchprogramming language, a free download from the MIT Media Lab. Using Scratch, children create software by dragging visual blocks on the screen, with no need to write any code.

Another way to get started is by using applications in everyday use. Every web browser runs JavaScript, and there are powerful programming languages built into most word processor and spreadsheet applications.

The problem though is that the “standard software”, which does appear on the curriculum, may already be out of date. Pupils knowing more than the teachers is not uncommon and a course in Microsoft Office is unlikely to “ignite passion”, as Schmidt puts it, in the same way as the excitement of coding your own game and seeing it work.

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Novatech Simulation Symposium

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Novatech Simulation Symposium – 29th March 2012

The first Novatech annual simulation symposium was held at the technology company’s Portsmouth manufacturing facility and was not only a chance for a broad cross-section of industry specialists to see behind the scenes, but also provided a new forum for discussion.

One of the clear successes of the day was the way that delegates from all sectors of the simulation industry, talked frankly and openly about the challenges and opportunities around system procurement, design and deployment.

David Wybourne, Novatech’s Sales & Marketing Director, jokingly explained that they had chosen the term ‘Symposium’, with trepidation, but when they discovered a dictionary definition of “A convivial meeting, usually following a dinner, for drinking and intellectual conversation”, they decided that it was appropriate.

The aim of the day was to bring together a wide range of professionals and delegates included MOD civilian and uniformed personnel, system integrators, training contractors, as well as software and hardware suppliers.  They all enjoyed a format that included a mixture of seminars and debate as well as a guided tour of the production lines and a visit to nearby Transas, the marine simulator specialist.

Novatech positions itself clearly as a COTS PC manufacturer, which works closely with simulator builders to deliver cost-effective, adaptable and scalable technology.  Whilst equal billing was given to their partners and customers, the focus of the day was of course to show how they work with some of the leading names in the aviation, defence and marine industries from BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman to Lockheed Martin and Bohemia.

Novatech is one of the UK’s most trusted technology companies with over twenty years’ experience in the expert provision of COTS simulation and training hardware, related technology and custom-built IT platforms.  They are also unique in that it is the only PC manufacturer to have a range of high performance PCs and laptops capable of running VBS2 off the shelf.

Guests heard from the department managers who were available during the Q&A what their guiding philosophies were in their relevant fields, and also provided relevant answers and examples of problems encountered and overcome. Many of the questions were around the frustrations experienced by those in the MoD trying to move forward with procurement for their programmes, and the delays put forward by bureaucracy.

The fact that Novatech is able to provide COTS and commoditised systems with costed through-life support, was seen as a valid, exciting and worthwhile solution.  The co-operation between product sourcing, system integration and R&D that Novatech have incorporated as part of their day-to-day operations, also impressed the guests as they could see the combination of technical knowledge and flexibility can quickly produce responsible quotes with consideration for obsolescence, and a time frame for build and delivery.

Overall the day was considered a great success by the guests, who reported it well organised, with the right mix of interactive hardware demonstration and talk. Many of them have said that they see it as an excellent introduction to a closer working collaboration with Novatech.

Novatech will be at ITEC stand L104

http://www.flickr.com/photos/novatechltd/sets/72157629336709778/show/

I became a “real” teacher because one day a student got ahead of me.

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Teachers should focus on developing students, not programs.

Becoming a ‘real’ computer science teacher isn’t about staying one step ahead of your pupils in a technological arms race – it’s about knowing how to encourage them to learn and expand their horizons.  So says Chris Monk in this month’s ICT Leadership comment in the Guardian.

teacher helping child with ICT skills

I remember very well moving from teaching maths to computer studies as a young teacher. Within the week, students were coming up to me to show me magazine articles, talk about a TV programme they had seen or ask me if a program they had written was cool. Whereas in maths I felt safe (every problem in the text books had been solved over and over – this was the seventies, remember), computer studies was frankly alarming.

Of course, some people think that being one step ahead of the kids is an essential characteristic of a “good” teacher. Some students will use will use their knowledge that is outside of the teacher’s comfort zone, to challenge the teacher negatively, disrupt or threaten the progress of other students.

But I think truly brilliant teaching lies in another direction. You cannot stay ahead of them – all those kids with their endless enthusiasm, energy and countless hours of hacking.

Instead, we teachers need to get clever and think about what we bring to the table: you are an expert in learning first and the subject second, so stop feeling you have to compete with them.

Help them; communicate their successes, focus on what they achieve, not on what you don’t know, and enjoy helping them to explain what they have done.

Lastly, chat with colleagues teaching music, art and PE. How do they retain respect when students can play a violin better, paint better or are off for a football trial for Manchester United?

Once you have stopped trying to master computer coding in the 15 minutes between your last lesson and the staff meeting, you can start to take another tack.

Celebrate and develop your skill as a professional teacher, not a walking technical textbook.  You are not running in a race, but working together in a team.

See your students as a resource not a challenge. Develop classroom strategies that turn them into positive contributors, not negative critics.

Promote a culture from the start where all learners can be teachers and where a teacher can admit to learning something. Pour in a little uncertainty, discomfort and risk taking and have fun!

Network; not for more advice about yet another computer language, but in classroom techniques that can broaden your skills and confidence to teach and organise an environment where students might learn even more than you will ever know.

Develop a classroom culture that values what can be shared, explained, used by all.  Practise this yourself; don’t be the “expert” that is a target for a fall. Learn together, explore together, make mistakes together.

A real teacher recognises that many students are brighter and will achieve more than they ever will. A real teacher starts from the premise that they don’t know everything and celebrates learning new things with students. A real teacher gets a kick out of the unexpected and loves to be challenged.

I became a “real” teacher because one day a student got ahead of me.

Chris Monk is a retired teacher of computing and ICT and is currently
learning co-ordinator at The National Museum of Computing based at Bletchley Park 

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A combination of evolution and revolution

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A nice interview with our FD Duncan Payne-Shelley in this month’s The Business magazine that neatly sums up where the company is headed.

Award-winning Novatech on fast track

From the latest hi-tech helicopter simulators for the military to the relatively ‘humble’ desktop PC, fast-growing computer company Novatech is a Solent and Thames Valley success story. The Business Magazine’s Alison Dewar reports.

In the past 18 months, a change of focus and strategy has reaped major financial rewards. The firm is now the fifth largest PC manufacturer in the UK, is Microsoft’s fastest growing partner and is well on the way to exceeding its sales target of £50 million in the next year.

Finance director Duncan Payne-Shelley told The Business Magazine that the company is now unrecognisable from its roots as a mail order supplier of computer components. “We have come a very long way and although the majority of our work is now planning technology for businesses, we still have amazing people taking care of customers at the centre of what we do. That much hasn’t changed.”

Payne-Shelley is quick to credit their recent successes to a combination of evolution and revolution. “We’ve not only put in place a great management team who have tightened and improved our systems, but also we have looked carefully at where we can be most competitive and thrown our energy and resources at winning market share in those sectors. Our evolution to becoming a business technology specialist has seemed like a natural progression, because of our engineering prowess and our history of building powerful custom-built PCs and servers.”

In recent years, Novatech has won numerous awards for the quality of its products and service and in 2010 the readers of Which? Magazine rated it top for reliability and service, above every other brand. In 2011 it was ranked second, behind Apple, but ahead of every other international giant like Dell, HP and Sony, but that’s OK with Payne-Shelley.

“These kinds of accolades are great but we are a very different company from any of them. At our heart, we are an engineering company that make custom-built computers for our customers’ individual needs. Businesses and schools tell us what they need their technology to do and we make sure they get the ideal machines to do it. That’s not something any other PC company can really match and that’s what more and more of them are looking for.”

Although the company grew and continues to thrive because of its expertise with gamers, Payne-Shelley points out that the vast majority of their work is now driven by longer-term projects with larger businesses in the finance, training, aerospace and education sectors.

“We tend to work more closely with firms to plan the lifecycle of their IT, so that all their technology keeps pace with, and drives their own innovation over time. We own the entire process from design and assembly to support and maintenance, which gives our business customers confidence that we can truly treat them as individuals. We get to know them very well so we can look after their IT and they can get on with what they do best – their own business.”

“We have recruited over fifty new staff in the past year and they are all positions that look after our customers directly. We believe passionately that Novatech’s purpose is much more than just selling technology – it’s about becoming a trusted adviser to the customer.”

Payne-Shelley admits that they are a very ambitious management team, who are keen to take Novatech from a ‘well-kept IT specialist’s secret’ to a household name, and that there is still plenty of work to do to build the brand. A profile-raising exercise has seen Novatech exhibit at various industry events, produce new marketing materials and develop a social media profile. It has also teamed up with media partners such as The Guardian, with whom it is currently sponsoring an ICT Leadership programme for schools.

The Novatech team is also clearly proud of its UK manufacturing heritage; all its equipment is assembled in Portsmouth – up to 5,000 PCs a month – and in-house teams of engineers and design teams are constantly developing new ideas. Current projects include expanding its virtualisation offering and Novatech’s simulation & special projects division; an area which is growing fast, thanks to increased use of simulator-based training in areas such as the military, marine, aviation and medical industries. The team at Barclays continues to offer support to the ongoing expansion plans.

Well-known customer names include Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Porsche UK and Oxford University, and Novatech is also a major player in the education sector, where it has been providing IT for schools, colleges and universities for more than 20 years.

Novatech has also found time to gain both ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications and is proud of its reputation for sustainability and products which offer a more reliable and energy efficient approach.

Existing stores in Reading, Cardiff and Bristol have been reorganised and the Portsmouth showroom has been given a full re-design and facelift to reflect the company’s new focus. A new partner benefits scheme has been launched to reward and encourage the company’s loyal following amongst independent IT contractors and support companies. Payne-Shelley points out that despite the tough economic conditions, very few manufacturers take the time to understand and to look after the community of professionals who keep the country’s small businesses running smoothly.

“We have an amazing community of Novatech ‘fans’ who have been using us for years and many have grown up with us. We’re now working with many senior IT professionals who are proud to admit that they built their first PC with our components when they were teenagers. It’s that kind of relationship that is so valuable and we know that looking after today’s gaming enthusiasts will mean that we have the ears, and hearts, of the decision makers of the future.”

www.businessmag.co.uk

Our Story #1 – Simulators

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This is the first in a series of films we are making about what we do and how we do it.

It doesn’t matter if we’re building a simulator to train helicopter pilots or building a high performance PC for a business – the collaborative process is the same.  We listen to what the customer wants and then bring twenty five years of expertise to bear and provide them with all the technology they need from one trustworthy source.

We have new company motto:  ”It takes people to make technology to work.  And we are those people.”

 

 

Politics and social networking: a 21st century match made in heaven or a recipe for disaster?

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We made the mistake of  asking our erstwhile work-experience student what young people thought about politics and social media.  Another great post from Hannah.

the social media campaign to find Kony reaches a global audience

You may have seen the recent YouTube phenomenon, Kony 2012. It has over 84 million views and had one of the fastest ever take-offs on YouTube. The video reports on the plight of children in Uganda at the hands of warlord Kony. He is accused of abducting around 60,000 children and committing atrocities that earned him the top spot on The International Criminal Court’s most-wanted list. The video went viral and in days millions had seen the video and shared it on Facebook and tweeted the hashtag #stopkony. It seems the power of social networking has reached a new level; according to the video it can help capture an international criminal.

The backlash materialised in various forms including the Nigerian-American writer, Teju Cole’s series of tweets pitching his stance regarding the Kony campaign. The final tweet read “I deeply respect American sentimentality, the way one respects a wounded hippo. You must keep an eye on it, for you know it is deadly.” This use of social networking demonstrates its use as a platform for political discussion. Later, Cole wrote “There are serious problems of governance, of infrastructure, of democracy…This is not the sort of story that is easy to summarize in an article, much less make a viral video about. After all, there is no simple demand to be made and — since corruption is endemic — no single villain to topple.” Here, Cole highlights another concern; due to the nature of social networking sites and their users, complicated affairs are condensed into slogans and videos. It makes issues more accessible but it also fails to show the true depth of the situation.

Similar ideas blending politics and social networking are emerging. Sean Parker – the man behind Napster and elements of both Facebook and Spotify US, recently helped with the launch of Votizen. This is a site developed to connect voters, helping them to “unlock the potential of your social networks and campaign for the candidates that share your values”.

However, a recent study has suggested that social network users have admitted that political discussion on a social platform makes them feel uncomfortable, with 73% of people saying they only sometimes or even never agree with political postings. Surprisingly 18% of social network users confess they’ve blocked, unfriended or hid someone based on politics.

What’s more, social networking sites have been accused of creating political echo chambers; in which a bold statement is made and then repeated, overheard, repeated again and exaggerated eventually creating a general assumption that this version of events is true. If this factor was manipulated it could pose a real threat to political truth, especially regarding smear campaigns.

Creating hype is clearly very much achievable using social mediums; however, generating genuine political change may prove trickier. Having said that, during his 2008 campaign Barack Obama made the most of YouTube for free political advertising and the internet to organize his supporters. The campaign’s ability to understand social network has been accredited with winning Obama the presidency.

 

 

So, how suited are politics and social networking? Well, in regards to YouTube, Justin Bieber still triumphs over politics with “Baby ft Ludacris” retaining its top spot on the YouTube chart and “Charlie bit my finger – again” also featuring on the top 10. In regards to the Kony campaign, the pressure on the developer of the groundbreaking video triggered a case of stress-related reactive psychosis which saw him roam the streets of San Diego naked. He’s now being treated in hospital. Mixed reviews then.

Here’s a list of the sites quoted.

http://m.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-white-savior-industrial-complex/254843/1/ – About Teju Cole

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/how-obamas-internet-campaign-changed-politics/- Obama

http://www.infoplease.com/world/statistics/most-wanted-fugitives.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/03/kony-creator-jason-russell-illness.html – Quotes about Jason Russell being mentally ill

http://news.yahoo.com/pew-study-social-networking-sites-users-uneasy-around-051336790.html- the figures about facebook users not liking friends being political

http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20120322/Teen/303229991/-1/sports?Title=Kony-movement-captivates-world  – general

http://votizen.com – The quote about unlocking the potential of social networks

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/reality-check-with-polly-curtis/2012/mar/08/kony-2012-what-s-the-story – Figures

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/top_10_youtube_videos_of_all_time.php – Youtube

 

Teenagers declare email dead.

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We’ve blogged before on the thorny issue of ‘has email had its day?’,  and we now have it on good authority that young people look at it as a work tool in the same way that they regard swipe cards, excel spreadsheets and HSE training.  A necessary evil.  This week, nineteen-year-old Newcastle University student Hannah has been doing some work experience with our marketing team, so we asked her to look into it. And without us prompting she found some great infographics too. (but we don’t endorse the CR code)

In the UK email use among 12-17 year olds dropped by a quarter in 2010. Overall use also dropped by 8%.  This decrease in popularity has mainly been attributed to an increase in use of social networking site and in particular, the revamp of Facebook’s messaging system, which according to some insiders has given Gmail something to worry about.

On the launch of the new messaging system in late 2010, Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg announced he believed that email was dying, claiming email is too slow and too formal compared to services like Facebook. He may have a point. In the US 14% of time spent online is spent on social networks, with an overwhelming proportion of this being based on Facebook and Twitter which have both continued to expand massively in the last year. There are 2,459,646,518 internet users and as of February 2012 there are 850 million Facebook users, meaning almost 35% of internet users have a Facebook account.  It is the second most visited site on the internet and 700 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each month.

This increase in social media usage could be accredited to the fact that around 20% of emails sent are spam or viruses. Another reason is that the youth population believe email is too formal and only for contact with adults or businesses – over 15% of teens believe that email is dead or dying. However, the suggestion that Facebook messaging could take over email has been widely contested seeing as in many offices Facebook use is considered unprofessional. It is worth considering the fact that there were 3.1billion email accounts last year and there is expected to be 4.1billion by 2015. There are critics who have said that teens shouldn’t be allowed to dictate technology trends and that maybe the reason email use is so down among teenagers is that they haven’t joined the point where email takes on a whole new importance – the world of work.