Effective planning, device deployment and management
Making the most of digital workspace transformation – Part 1
As working practices and norms continue to change and develop, and the debate about what works best rages on, the ability to adapt your business’ working methods quickly is growing in value. Of course, quick reactions shouldn’t come at the expense of business collaboration, or security. So, how do you clear this delicate obstacle?
The right technology and processes can make an enormous difference. Modern operating systems and software, such as Windows 10, continues to evolve and offer increased levels of flexibility for businesses and private users alike. The rise of the cloud further boosts this, with remote collaboration now near-seamless, as opposed to just a few years ago, when working from home could be challenging. This rate of development is showing no signs of slowing down.
As long-term partners of Microsoft, and experts in the use of technology like Windows 10, Microsoft Teams and Microsoft Azure, we’ve been trusted by many public and private organisations to help prepare them for the challenges presented by changing work habits. We achieve this through a distinct, four-step process we call the digital workspace quadrant.
Getting a sense of what you need to meet your unique needs should always start by taking a closer look at where your business currently stands. What technology do you currently use? How much do you pay for it? Are you using it to its full potential? Programs like Microsoft Teams can offer massive advantages to a business if used properly. We’ll take a close look to see what value can be extracted from existing tools, before looking at new ones.
From here, we’ll start to work with you to define and build your business case for change. To do this effectively, we’ll involve employees from across your business, in order to get a sense of their unique challenges, insights and ideas.
By combining this knowledge gained from your team with comprehensive audits on your technology, infrastructure and existing skillsets, we’ll pick out the ideal technological solutions for your challenges.
From here, our deployment and management expertise comes into play. We’ll make use of deployment tools like Windows Autopilot to ensure any new device delivery goes smoothly, without any setup time necessary.
We’ll also work to make device management significantly simpler. Windows Autopilot enables legacy app containerisation, which allows older Windows apps that are no longer supported to carry on running within the latest version of Windows 10. This means that, if you have an essential piece of bespoke software that’s out of date, you don’t need to immediately replace it, or jeopardise your wider security in the process.
Any technological or cultural change is a big step for a business to take, especially at a time when working culture is evolving so quickly. At XMA, we’ll work with you to make it as simple and painless as possible. From enabling new hybrid opportunities to making the most of existing tech and infrastructure, with our expert support and quality products from major vendors like Microsoft, digital workspace transformation can be that little bit easier.
To learn more about our digital workspace quadrant process, and how we can help you make the most of workplace transformation, keep an eye out for part two of this series, which focuses on keeping security high without restricting access.
Keeping hybrid working secure and staying in control
Making the most of digital workspace transformation – Part 2
As widespread digital workspace transformation continues to progress, and the working standards of individuals and businesses continues to evolve, keeping pace is increasingly important. If a business is behind the curve, it becomes ever more difficult to attract and retain talent. But with the desire for remote and flexible working being higher than ever, how can you meet this need without jeopardising your business security and continuity?
XMA can help you with this. In a previous blog, we looked at how we can use an effective planning and deployment strategy to help your business embrace new ways of working. In this second blog, we’ll be looking into the ways we can help you keep control of your network, without ever laying your hands on the devices your team uses.
When people work remotely, it’s likely that the range of devices available to them will go up. For example, some people might have a powerful PC at home, while others might prefer to work from a personal tablet or phone occasionally. While this boost to staff convenience is hard to ignore, it does raise several major security concerns. As these devices are outside your management control, they could be an ideal access point for hackers and viruses. As a result, many businesses are choosing to restrict access to managed devices only.
Whether you choose to allow a varied range of devices to use your network, or supply specific machines to each member of your team, we can help. Sophisticated endpoint and access management systems, enabled by Windows 10 technology, allow you to retain control while enabling an enormous level of flexibility for your teams. This will let you simplify automated provisioning, configuration management, and software updates for every single device that uses your network, regardless of operating system.
Device management is just part of the battle. Alongside close and customisable control over access, based on your specific needs and wishes, we’ll also develop a robust and personalised data security and risk management policy. This will consider the sensitivity of your data, how much access is required for each individual, and much more.
Using the latest software and zero-trust techniques from Microsoft, including Windows 10 Authenticator for two-factor authentication, we can start to create an environment that enables digital workspace transformation, without jeopardising security for the sake of access.
Enabling cultural change is naturally important for a business, especially right now, but doing it in a way that’s sensible, safe and suitable for you is incredibly important. It’s not something to be rushed, you need to pick the right path for you. Our team will help you to pick the right path, and use the best technology from Microsoft, along with other major vendor partners, to make it a reality.
We’ll be continuing our blog series on digital transformation in the weeks to come, so keep an eye out for part three. If you’ve not read the first part, or would like a reminder, you can find it here
How did the Covid-19 lockdown impact sustainability?
The conversation around the shift to remote working is constantly ongoing, and we have all seen first-hand the positive impacts on businesses.This includes anything from improved collaboration and productivity, through to better mental health and wellbeing. Technology has been a key enabler in supporting the move to remote working.
Technology adopted during lockdown to enable employees to work remotely has shaped not just organisations during lockdown, but strategic business planning moving forward. We have already seen announcements from large enterprise technology organisations, shifting their working model to remote, either entirely or in part.
The productivity benefits of working from home centre around the loss of the need to commute. With the average person’s work commute at 60 minutes each way, this has saved on average a staggering 10 hours per week spent mostly in the car, on the trainor bus.As a result of this, the European Environment Agency’s data confirms large decreases in air pollutant concentrations, of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) concentrations, largely due to reduced traffic and other activities, especially in major cities under lockdown measures.
Reductions of around half have been seen in some locations, for example:
In Milan, average concentrations of NO2 for the past month have been at least 24 % lower than the month prior. The average concentration during the week of 16-22 March was 21 % lower than for the same week in 2019.
In Rome, average NO2 concentrations for the past four weeks were 26-35 % lower than for the same weeks in 2019.
In Barcelona, average NO2 levels went down by 40 % from one week to the next. Compared with the same week in 2019, the reduction was 55 %.
In Madrid, average NO2 levels went down by 56 % from one week to the next. Compared with the same week in 2019, the reduction was 41 %.
In Lisbon, average NO2 levels went down by 40 % from one week to the next. Compared with the same week in 2019, the reduction was 51 %.
(European Environment Agency, 2020).
After achieving and analysing thisreduction in pollution, will the Covid-19 lockdown result in real progress to tackle climate change?
Whilst addressing long-term air quality problems requires ambitious policies and forward-looking investments, the Covid-19 lockdown demonstrated the capability we must vastly reduce our emissions. When the noise of airplanes and traffic was gone, it helped us understand and have empathy for the effects of climate change on future generations.The lockdown also demonstrated to employers that employees can effectively work from anywhere with best placed technology, and in turn contribute toward a greener and more sustainable future.
Is your business set up for remote working?
XMA have been supporting businesses throughout Covid-19 to achieve efficient digital workspaces. Get in touch to discuss your Digital Workspace now.
I hope everyone is safe and well during lockdown and people are still finding fun ways to stay active and social. Like many people I’ve been having regular quizzes online with friends, often ending up in ‘JD Wetherzooms’ for a few drinks. I recently hosted a Britain’s Got Talent spoof on Teams and people were impressed at how some of the features were in the free version of Teams and how well it integrated with Windows 10 features!
I’ve been a windows 10 user for so long I’ve almost forgotten what Windows 7 looks like for those feeling nostalgic here you go..
With the evergreen Window 10 OS features are rolled out so regularly that often they can be missed! I’ve handpicked some of the top ways I have been more collaborative and productive during current COVID remote working!
Let us begin at the start…
Just like organising your apps on your phone, or bookmarking your favourites within your internet browser, by customising you Start Menu you will have you go to applications and documents just one click away!
Pin apps to the Start menu for quick access to what’s important by selecting Start> press and hold (or right-click) the app you want to pin > Pin to Start. Treat your start menu to a spring clean by unpinning the apps you don’t need to make it less cluttered!
To get really organised you can actually create your own Start Menu folders.
Drag one tile on top of another to make a folder, then drag more tiles into it. To open the folder, just select it.
Share the workload!
Most people are aware of OneDrive and being able to save and share documents from their own cloud hosted folders. Once a document is in your OneDrive if you want to share the document for joint working you can simply do that via right-clicking the file and selecting More OneDrive Sharing Options.
To edit this document in real time with colleagues, once opening the document you can select Share, enter the email address of the people to share with and select Send. Now the file is shared with everyone on your list.
Whilst editing each user will be assigned a coloured flag to illustrate where they are in the document. This saves time emailing around the document and loosing track of versions, and allows maximum productivity when on a team call.
If you are not on voice call, you can still chat with colleague within the shared document. When editing a shared Microsoft Word document if you select the picture of someone who is editing at the shame time, you can hit the Chat.
Many screens make light work…
You may have had a dual screen set up in your office or an external monitor that would allow you to view multiple applications at the same time. A prime example for me is switching between a Excel spreadsheet price file and XMA quoting system. Windows 10 provide a handy way of allowing you to snap applications side by side. If you select any open window, then drag and bounce it against the side of your screen. All other windows you have open will appear on the opposite side. Select a window to have it fill the open space.
If your finding yourself spending more time looking at your phone screen as well, you can actually use the phone directly from your Windows 10 machine. The Your Phone App allows you to link your android phone to your device to respond to text, share photos, make calls and more. iPhone users can also use the all-in-one Office app to stay productive wherever you are. Ideal for when you want to get some fresh air and sit in the garden!
Saving your bacon!
Never underestimate the pain of losing documents and folders if your PC breaks when your darling daughter accidentally knocks a whole glass of orange juice over your keyboard!
Thankfully like me, you can automatically back up document, picture and desktop folders to OneDrive so they are protected whatever happens to your PC!
On the right side of the taskbar, select OneDrive > More > Setting and on the AutoSave tab, select Update Folders and specify which folders you’d like to keep automatically synced.
To prevent the offspring from deleting my work when I’ve left my laptop unattended whilst getting a cuppa I’ve also setup Automatic locking on my PC.
You can use Dynamic Lock setting to lock your PC once a paired Bluetooth device (possibly your headset or phone) leaves the proximity around your PC. Under the Start menu go to Settings > Accounts > Sign-in options. Select the check box under Dynamic lock, and then take your device and walk away, safe in the knowledge that you PC screen is locked!
Oooo work-friends…
Keep your favourite people nearby… by using the People app you can keep important contacts right on your taskbar, so they’re always within reach when you want to chat.
People pulls in contact info from apps like Teams and Mail. Once you’ve connected those apps, use People to find your favourites and pin them to the taskbar for easy access.
Pin a contact to the taskbar
Easily get in touch with your favourite contacts. Select People > Find and pin contacts, then pick who you want to pin! Obviously, our marketing team are pinned in mine! ?
I hope that you’ve found the above features interesting and useful and honestly this is just the scratching the surface [no pun intended] of ways that windows 10 can help. For more tips and tricks please check out Microsoft’s Windows 10 page here
On the 5th of June I am running a webinar with Dan Boyles from Microsoft to discuss some of our favourite features in Windows 10 and how they are making our remote working lives easier. You can view the webinar here
In the meantime if you have any questions on Microsoft licensing, products or feature please drop me an email on James.Thorogood@xma.co.uk
Stay safe. Stay connected.
All the best,
James
Cloud Physics: An analytics-driven approach to managing infrastructure
A New Approach
In today’s world of software-defined datacenters, infrastructure is increasingly complex and change is constant. The potential for change-related risk to applications is greater than ever before. In spite of the abundance of tools available, IT administrators lack the ability – and time – to study all the known or unknown configuration issues in their vSphere infrastructure. They struggle to understand whether changes – intended or accidental – result in smoldering performance and availability issues waiting to ignite.
Further, when things go wrong, there’s an inability to replay the changes over time to correlate events or trends that caused the current problem. This creates a significant drag on administrator effectiveness especially as they are thrown into firefighting mode to minimize the impact of unexpected application disruption and related costs.
The goal of CloudPhysics is to provide organisations with an analytics-driven approach to managing infrastructure that enables administrators to preempt emerging hazards and gives them the confidence to act boldly to reduce risk and waste in their vSphere environments.
To learn more , please fill in your details below to receive a free copy of the CloudPhysics whitepaper.
Everything you need to know about dHCI…
XMA’s Infrastructure Solutions Team are seeing a growing interest in dHCI from HPE.
XMA Solutions Director for Infrastructure – Jen Norman – and her team of Datacentre Architects take a closer look..
We’ve been designing and installing Hyperconverged Infrastructure solutions for some time now, and between Myself and my Datacentre team we have over (*cough) 115 years (*ahem) engineering experience between us. So when HPE came to us with a disaggregated hyperconverged infrastructure solution last year, apart from repeating the name several times over to ourselves, we got onboard and got involved. Now we are privileged to have completed our first dHCI live production solution deployments earlier this year.
What could you be facing?
So maybe your VMware system is running out of storage capacity, your servers are dated and you can’t upgrade to run the latest versions.
Ok. Well you’ve done some research and investigation. You want a hyperconverged replacement where you can run concurrent workloads, and like the idea of being able to scale out storage or compute separately. BUT it would be great if you could get this delivered, supported and managed as a single product.
What else might you need?
Well as standard, you want a storage system that has options for encryption, compression and deduplication, application consistent snapshots and advanced replication (ether synchronous or asynchronous) with near all-flash speed and sub-ms latency for always-on apps. That’s a given.
Definitely VMware clusters running on the latest compatible server hardware and block level storage.
A complete turnkey solution? One that is monitored from the application to the storage, proactive alerting and with the ability to predict and prevent infrastructure problems before they happen.
Nothing less than a system designed for 99.9999% availability – no single point of failure, hardware redundancies with the ability to tolerate 3 simultaneous drive failures!
And you’re pretty sure that Procurement will want the choice on finance options – including future proofing, cloud like financing, with integrated support.
Then you definitely need a HPE disaggregated hyperconverged solution (dHCI)
And you are not alone. Since its inception in 2019 we have seen successful installations in Local Government and Education, with interest and opportunities growing in the Corporate, Commercial Enterprise and Healthcare sectors.
It’s a winning combination
You take the power and performance of the HPE Nimble Storage array, with its self-managing flash storage.
Add industry-leading HPE ProLiant Servers, include HPE storage switches, and deploy VMware vSphere.
Then this is all preconfigured as a turnkey solution!
Then automate with full-stack intelligence and policy-based automation for VM-centric management.
But here’s the best bit……
Add the power of HPE InfoSight over all this, and you have full-stack predictive analytics and support automation working for you that predicts and prevents issues. Infosight auto-routes any complex issue directly to L3 HPE Nimble support.
HPE have streamlined their support portfolio to offer four service levels that are easier to understand, easier to align to business needs which gives you visibility into IT assets and support status from anywhere.
You can flexibility and independently grow compute and/or storage – adding new dHCI compatible storage and/or servers when required – for scale-out upgrades that are non-disruptive and transparent to applications.
Eliminate over provisioning and add only the resources when needed. The Timeless Storage means no worries today or tomorrow with all-inclusive software licensing, flat support pricing, no forklift upgrades, and an option to receive a free faster controller upgrade after three years with Timeless Storage.
And, if you’re reading this thinking ‘well this sounds great but I’ve still got Gen9 (or 10) Proliant servers that are in warranty and I don’t want to replace them yet’.. Well HPE read your mind, (just kidding, they leave that to your home speaker system and asked Alexa what you thought), and have designed the solution so you can use the existing compute you already have in place, add a Nimble array and the dHCI software allowing you to convert everything in to a dHCI solution!
Is this Complex?
HPE Nimble storage arrays can be installed and be up and running in half a day requiring no external tools or software – we have completed installations where the HPE Nimble arrays that have been physically installed, configured, integrated and have test VMs running within hours ready for User Acceptance Testing (UAT). They can be All-Flash (AF) or Adaptive Flash (HF) for mixed, mainstream workloads, where cost-efficient flash performance is important. It is a Secondary Flash array for backup and DR while allowing you to put your backup data to work.
For the compute you have the HPE ProLiant Gen10 DL360 a performance driven dense server or DL380 for performance and expandability. These servers deliver security, agility and flexibility without compromise – with the knowledge that you can confidently deploy for virtualisation.
These are completed with a choice of Ethernet HPE storage switches to meet your budget and installation size.
Root Cause…. Could it be the network? A server fault or a storage fault?
Once installed HPE InfoSight can help you stop spending days searching for a root cause deep in your hybrid environment. Every second, HPE InfoSight collects and analyses data from more than 100,000 systems worldwide, and uses that intelligence to make every system smarter and more self-sufficient. The result? HPE InfoSight predicts and automatically resolves 86% of customer issues.
We are an HPE Platinum partner and have trained and Certified HPE sales and engineers with Master Accredited Solutions Experts (top-level credential validates technical skills) with experience in building and sizing advanced enterprise systems. Continually staying up to date with the latest technology updates, strategies and programs. One of our core values is “customer focus”. We put our customers at the heart of everything we do. We don’t just provide technology we provide solutions.
Written by Jennifer Norman, Solutions Director for Infrastructure
Free extended trial of the HPE iLO Advanced license
The HPE iLo Advanced license offers security and smart remote functionality without compromise for HPE ProLiant Servers and now you can access an extended trial license that last until the end of the year FREE. HPE understands challenging circumstances require solutions that will help customers that need to access their server remotely and securely.
This license includes the full suite of HPE iLO server management capabilities that offers users enhanced security, improved efficiency and ease of server management.
Learn more about HPE Integrated Lights-Out licensing here
Beginning March 31st, 2020, customers can access the extended HPE iLO Advanced license free of charge, enabling iLO Advanced through December 31st 2020.
Note: Customers downloading licences until November 2nd 2020 will get keys that will expire on January 1st 2021. Customers downloading licenses after November 2nd 2020 will get keys valid for 60 days from date of activation.
To receive your free iLO license please fill in the form below
Say ”Goodbye” to Windows Server 2008
Say “hello” to a secure, simple, cloud-ready future
Modernise with the latest versions of Windows Server on HPE Gen10 and benefit from improved security, greater efficiency, and access to the cloud.
Windows Server 2008 went end-of-support January 14th, 2020.
Windows Server 2008 is an operating system produced by Microsoft. In the past, if you had a problem with your server, either you, your IT partner, or your software vendor had the ability to reach out to Microsoft to get:
Technical support
Help troubleshooting issues
Patches or updates
Microsoft will no longer provide this support.
If your business runs software on the Windows Server 2008 operating system, neither you, nor your IT vendors, IT service providers, or custom/third-party software application developers will be able to contact Microsoft for help even if the issue originates in Windows Server 2008.
Upgrade to Windows Server 2019 today with Windows Server on HPE Gen10
The Benefits
In addition to cybercrime protection, new systems are significantly more efficient. With Windows Server 2008, virtual machines consume so much CPU and memory that only a small number of VMs can run on each physical server. With modern Windows Server technology, it’s possible to run hundreds or thousands of containers on each server. Fewer servers = lower costs and less complexity.
Old servers play a large role in rising IT costs because they drive up the #1 cost issue for most data centers: software license and support fees. Moving to the latest HPE Gen10 servers will help control this significant expense. Since most software is licensed according to the number of processor cores:
Microsoft will offer extended security updates for customers who migrate their legacy applications to the Azure cloud and run them on virtual machines. Is that the best solution for you?
Migrating your entire legacy environment to run in virtual machines in the public cloud still leaves you with outdated applications on an OS that loses support as soon as you leave Azure. And VMs in the cloud require extensive ongoing management for many of the features that are automated in cloud-based applications, including configuration sizing, securing, patching, and maintaining. A migration of Windows Server 2008 to VMs in the cloud is a short-term fix that will need to be resolved for your business to truly benefit and move forward.
The better alternative
When a legacy Windows Server 2008 environment is modernised on HPE Gen10 Servers with a current version of Windows Server, you get the added security against cybercrime, the efficiency of cost-saving technologies, and the benefits of a hybrid cloud platform. Exciting HPE products like Synergy, SimpliVity, and the Apollo System for AI and Deep Learning provide powerful tools so that you can successfully address the IT challenges that were never imagined back in 2008. It’s time to move forward.
Contact us today to find out more about which solution is best for your business
Technology is transforming the healthcare industry
Technology is transforming the healthcare industry. It is now possible to provide a better experience to your patients and practitioners by modernising your healthcare environment with modern technology.
Widespread adoption of emerging technologies is changing the way medicine works; however, future-proofing hospitals remains a concern. Healthcare providers often face the challenge to cope with more patients, adapt to new technologies and provide smart facilities & services. To meet this concern, healthcare providers need modern systems. They require robust infrastructure solutions to improve efficiency & help the clinicians advance the quality of patient care. With HPE’s ultimate infrastructure solution, HPE Synergy, healthcare leaders can deliver a superior Virtual Client Compute experience that allows medical providers to enjoy higher availability of GPU intensive applications.
Healthcare providers can now access the ultimate flexibility to maintain a variety of workloads on a single platform, as well as scale to meet greater demand during seasons of increased usage. HPE Synergy has been thoroughly designed to compose and recompose assets in a matter of minutes—enabling new levels of speed and efficiency.
HPE Synergy provides a foundation of innovative security features that goes beyond perimeter protection—arming your systems to prevent, detect, and recover from threats. You can enjoy a seamless, consistent experience across devices, even as caregivers move to different rooms within a facility. With Synergy, we can virtualise the OEM applications and the delivery of the GPUs to the applications.
Coupled with HPE Pointnext services, Proactive care support provides both reactive and proactive service elements for your synergy devices and systems and helping you focus on your key priorities. Designed to help reduce problems from occurring and giving you a rapid response when they do occur. With HPE proactive care, you will get enhanced call experience with an assigned Technical Support Specialist who manages your case from start to finish and rapid access to technical experts to help resolve issues quickly. Proactive issue prevention with tailored reports for firmware/software revision management, proactive scan (health check), and incident trend reports. This will Free up IT teams from day to day maintenance and helps your team to protectively manage firmware/software revisions and other aspects of system health.
The Healthcare industry needs an infrastructure that is flexible enough to maintain a variety of workloads and scale with the seasons of increased usage. Moving to composable architecture can provide healthcare leaders with the ultimate flexibility to allocate a variety of workloads on a single platform and recompose those assets in minutes. Together with a streamlined management interface, healthcare providers can now also enjoy a greatly simplified management experience.
We’re passionate about delivering an outstanding customer experience and are trusted by some of the largest Public Sector organisations in the UK. With Government initiatives such as the NHS Infrastructure Maturity Model (NIMM) continuing to drive transformation across IT infrastructure, we align our knowledge and experience to deliver sustainable solutions which address the need for good governance.
As a long-term supplier to the NHS and an accredited supplier under the Crown Commercial Service, we recognise the potential to use technology to create efficiencies and improvements to patient care across all GP practices, CCGs, CSUs and local health economies. By combining our understanding of the NHS IT market, IT partner alliances and our national service and delivery model, we help organisations make the shift towards digitised healthcare.
Covid-19 – Partner Updates
Like all businesses, XMA are concerned about the recent Covid-19 outbreak.
After the announcement by the Prime minister on 12th March we are continuing to follow government advice closely and are primarily focused on ensuring the safety of our staff, customers and suppliers.
The company has a business continuity plan in the event of any significant disruption and will endeavour to keep as near to normal levels of service if a period of quarantine is imposed by the government. Clearly, if our warehouses are closed, this will be more disruptive. We will post updates regularly on our website as the situation alters.
We work with a number of technology partners as do our customers and have consolidated links to our partners Covid-19 messaging in one location. Many of them working to assist their customers where they can with their relevant technologies in areas such as “how-to” webinars, providing software at no or reduced cost – mainly around remote working as well as general updates on their business during this time.
Please see below links to our Vendor Partner updates:
