Gain more control and make savings with IT-as-a-Service
Achieve the flexibility of the public cloud on-premises under your control with consumption-based and flexible IT solutions from HPE GreenLake pay-per-use model.
HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity offers a consumption-based model on-premises, giving you greater flexibility, scalability, and control. Design your own infrastructure solutions, selecting from a broad range of HPE and partner technologies, as well as optional services that can span your infrastructure to your apps and workloads.
World-class expertise from HPE Pointnext
Every HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity solution comes with enterprise-grade support from HPE Pointnext and active capacity management to ensure that your solution grows with the business needs.
4 benefits of using consumption based IT
Outcome-based IT consumption delivers a range of benefits that you can’t get from solutions solely built from scratch or bought from the public cloud. Delivering the best of both worlds, HPE GreenLake enables:
On-premises for better control over compliance, performance, and security
Simplified IT that’s operated for you to free up resources and add business value
Faster time to value with solutions that are ready quickly and evolve ahead of your needs
Better economics with a flexible, pay-per-use model that offers simplicity and financial clarity
HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity with HPE Nimble Storage
All-flash storage and predictive analytics with 99.9999% guaranteed up time
Active capacity management and pay-per-use consumption from HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity meaning simple, secure, storage solution that grows with your business needs.
Don’t let your network flatline. Stay live with Aruba Networks.
With almost 100% shift to digital across the healthcare industry, having a strong, secure and reliable network has never been more important. Staff are using a multitude of devices to connect to the same network, along with patients and BioMedical devices. Aruba offers solutions to solve these challenges and add benefits such as indoor navigation for the patients to enhance digital services whilst visiting a patient or as a patient themselves.
Total economic impact of IoT in healthcare in 2025 is $170B-$1.6T, making it one of the top three vertical for IoT solutions1
How Aruba enables a digital workforce within the Healthcare Industry
A Secure, Strong and Reliable network throughout your Healthcare Institution
Seamless Connectivity: indoors and outdoors utilising technologies such as satellite clinics to support numerous devices per user wherever you are. With HPE Smart Rate multi-gig Ethernet you can enable high speed connectivity over Cat6 cabling.
Future proof support for emerging IoT devices and standards.
Making sure equipment is connected, secure and reliable at any time.
Point of care decision support. Allowing clinicians to use their mobile devices to make critical decisions. Aruba Ao8 features of reliability in a 24/7 environment – using Aruba technologies such as LiveUpgrade, Hitless Failover, ClientMatch and AppRF.
Creating an unrivalled user experience for patients and guests with location-based services
Patient facing applications which allow indoor mapping, location specific content, proximity-based notifications, user opt – in location sharing (great for visiting family) using Aruba Beacons and Meridian. Making it easier to make your way around the hospital and find a specific bed.
Secured, easy to use Guest Access Portals with ClearPass meaning security even when on a guest wifi network.
Adding an extra layer of security and peace of mind for expensive and critical equipment
Location of expensive assets through Meridian Asset Tracking. IT Managers can keep on top and track their most critical and important equipment at all times.
Visibility and Control for IT Management
Giving clear visibility to the IT managers to control and maintain the hospital’s infrastructure using 20/20 Visibility with Aruba AirWave. Adding the extra layer of support with technologies such as Client-to-network E2E visibility, RF Visualization, Historical reporting, Automated Configuration Management, In-Line monitoring: Radius, DHCP, DNS critical services, role and device – based network access control.
All these technologies complimenting each other to give the ultimate experience to the IT manager and securing a strong and stable environment through the hospital network.
1McKinsey Global Institute, Unlocking The Potential Of The Internet of Things, June 2015
Be on cloud nine, and migrate your business to Microsoft Azure
Take it from us, the experts; there has never been a better time to migrate your business to Azure, and we believe that the success made possible by the cloud should be accessible to every business and every organisation—small and large, old and new. But not all businesses are created equal. Some of you are just beginning your cloud journey.
Every company—regardless of industry, legacy, or technology pedigree—can thrive in the cloud. We want to paint a picture of the cloud landscape, and explain how Microsoft Azure can solve complex business problems while also making new business models possible. Now is the time to ‘spring clean’ all your apps, data, and infrastructure and migrate them to Azure.
Why cloud migration?
So, why are more and more businesses considering it a priority to migrate to the cloud? Well… do any of the below sound familiar to you?
Your datacenter contract has an expiry date
Your business does (or will in the near future) need a software and a hardware refresh
You know that there is all of this amazing technology solutions out there, but it’s too much pressure on your internal IT resource to solely deliver
As an IT manager, you’re expected to know about all the new technology available to you, but you can’t keep up and the delivery of new infrastructures is a little overwhelming
The business is growing, and as such, so is the expectation to host a technology solution that can serve as high capacity. But you need to deliver this without a huge capital investment..
Windows 7 End of Support is fast approaching, and you are concerned about the cyber-security threats to your business if you do not migrate in time
But for us, this is about guiding you through your journey to the cloud – not just providing the technology.
The 4 pillars of Azure
There are 4 key pillars that explain why Azure is different to any other cloud solution. Our customers choose Microsoft Azure time and time again, because of the value that can be provided in one central cloud platform.
Productivity: Your business can build applications, and get those apps to users more efficiently than ever. You can also manage applications no matter how large or complex. The best part is that Azure provides built-in support for an end-to-end management experience. Think about monitoring… logging analytics… patching… backup… and site recovery. With built-in security and management features, you have the assurance that security, compliance and policies are in place.
Hybrid: This is so much more than just being able to move an application into the cloud. You can increase end-user productivity by using Azure Active Directory for single sign-on to both cloud and on-premise applications – your business is now working on a unified platform, which provides a consistent experience across the entire organisation.
Intelligence: Azure provides an SQL server that connects to Artificial services. This enables the quick adoption of technologies, the ease of integration, and the development of breakthrough apps with built-in intelligence. Azure offers comprehensive set of services, infrastructure, and tools to build AI-powered experiences including bots that naturally interact with users and built-in advanced analytics tools, such as R, to make faster predictions for your business.
Trusted: Compliance and trust is not an afterthought for Microsoft. With Azure’s security centre, you can get a unified view of all of your on-premises and cloud workloads. Collect, search and analyze security data from a variety of sources, including firewalls and other partner solutions. By finding vulnerabilities and being able to remediate them quickly, you can limit your organisation’s exposure to threats and respond swiftly to attacks. Did you know that 90% of Fortune 500s trust the Microsoft Cloud for security, privacy and transparency?
We understand that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’
There’s no one-size-fits-all any more for your IT. Make it as bespoke as you want with Azure’s easy-to-use platform, it can do so much more than replace hardware and software; the way you communicate, analyse data, prepare marketing campaigns and deliver new and innovative features to your users will be revolutionised. And, bottom line, it saves a ton of space, money and the IT helpdesk headaches.
XMA can help you successfully move your business to the cloud.
To find out more, please contact us on: 01727 201890 | softwarelicensing@xma.co.uk
Deliver A* learning outcomes with Microsoft 365 Education
“The Modern Classroom”. A term that reminds us that the face of education is changing the way that teachers teach and students learn. Schools are constantly striving to achieve better learning outcomes, and technology is shaping the way in which this can be delivered. As technology becomes more and more sophisticated, so do the expectations of teaching staff, parents, and even students. So, what steps can schools take to meet these high expectations? How can they embrace “the modern classroom” and maximise learning and teaching outcomes all at the same time?
Microsoft 365 Education empowers teachers to unlock creativity, promote teamwork and better collaboration across the classroom, as well as provide a simple and safe experience in one affordable solution. Schools can ensure that students and educators always have access to the latest feature innovations; with automatic updates for Office 365 and Windows 10, as well as being able to experience new technologies such as Minecraft: Education Edition for students, and OneNote for teachers.
This is how we think Microsoft 365 can transform your school:
Giving students the tools they need to succeed
Microsoft 365 Education can level the playing field, and ensure every student has the tools they need to succeed. Minecraft: Education Edition has had a broad impact on teaching and learning, and connects educators right across the globe. It facilitates a project-based learning environment that allows students to develop skills that can prepare them for the modern workforce:
97.7% is Problem Solving
95.5% is Creativity
93.3% is Critical Thinking
91.1.% is Collaboration
88.8% is Decision Making
86.6% is Communication
Promote teamwork and effective communication with Teams
Microsoft Teams enhances collaboration, the sharing of ideas and documents, connecting with peers inside and outside of the classroom, and can bring teacher and student conversations together in one digital hub. Schools can promote equity and student voice with collaborative classrooms, and connect in professional learning communities – all from a single experience in Microsoft 365 for Education. This really is a hub for every type of teamwork, and can be the most empowering form of communication for students who may struggle to connect with others in an education environment.
“With Teams, I communicate better with my classmates and my teacher. It has changed the way we relate to each other, and it lets us post useful information to help peers who are struggling with a lesson.” – Student, City of Westminster College
Provide a simple and safe experience
We understand that the most important thing for schools is the safety of their students and teachers. With new technologies there may come additional risks in terms of access to appropriate content, the misuse of devices and breach of data confidentiality. Microsoft 365 Education has been built around the delivery of a simple and safe experience.
Manage users, data and devices with a single dashboard
Protect identity, apps, data and devices with intelligent security enhanced by machine learning
Manage data archiving, governance and discovery.
We want you to get the very most out of Microsoft 365 Education, and provide you with affordable devices that can maximise your school experience.
To find out more, please contact us today. 01727 201890 |softwarelicensing@xma.co.uk
3 ways to empower cloud workers
We are currently in the age of the cloud worker, but what does that mean?
The way in which we work has evolved due to the developing transition of cloud technologies and the increasing number of organisations adopting these ways of working. The progression towards cloud technologies can be seen throughout many industries and all sizes of organisations who are keen to uncover and utilise what cloud can offer them.
Employees in their personal lives embrace a plethora of cloud technologies: from ordering food and transport to shopping, all within a touch of their screen. It could be suggested that this has heightened their expectations of the workplace where they now require efficient and effortless technologies to do their job.
The evolution of the workforce can’t be ignored, with 1 in 4 employees currently seen as a cloud worker. A cloud worker can be defined as a worker who uses cloud apps and either laptops or tablets daily spending a minimum of 3 hours a day within a browser (Forrester, 2018).
A recent survey on employees showed:
65% believed their technology requirements for work are constantly changing.¹
73% rely on their employee to continuously improve their approach to devices/apps that support their productivity.¹
80% agreed they needed instant access to information from a variety of sources to succeed in their job.¹
There is an increase in workers operating on-the-go, using shared devices and working within large international teams. They are relying heavily on cloud-based apps and want to be able to do their job through any device and at any time of the day; structured 9-5 working is becoming a thing of the past. The working behaviours of employees are changing sufficiently enough that workplaces are adapting the working environment to ensure efficiency, retention and productivity are high.
A recent survey on ITDM enterprises showed:
71% agreed technology developments had evolved organisations expectations of employees day to day work.¹
73%consider employee experience as a top priority when making decisions about devices and business applications.¹
73% believed that complementing employee tasks with tech like AI cloud ans mobility is crucial to my organisations future.¹
(Forrester, 2018)
The growing trend of employees rating flexibility to work anywhere anytime as essential in carrying out their job effectively means they embrace technologies that help them do that. Working for an organisation who understands this and puts time and effort into the employee experience has never been so important. Introducing cloud technologies into the work place to enable these workers will have a positive impact on: attracting and retaining talent as well as productivity and efficiency whilst the right technology will also keep organisations safe and secure from cyber-criminal activity.
3 ways to empower your cloud workers:
1) Workplace efficiency
Cloud workers are on the go and busy throughout the day so need features that will help them do the job and assist with increasing productivity. Chrome OS automatically secures data with a cloud-based back up system enabling them to work worry free, from any location. Updates run automatically in the background and do not disrupt users whilst working, introducing new features over time to maintain device performance. Employees can also stay on task whilst being offline and save and sync features help them to stay productive on any device.
2) Premium hardware
Cloud workers care about having the best quality hardware to do their job efficiently and effectively whilst using helpful features to empower them to get the job done. Just like this portable Chromebook device that provides secure cloud access and a seamless transition from online to offline work. The Chromebook provides full interactivity on a single device and accommodates users who need to share company materials on the go as well as those who need secure, reliable data access to collaborate with team members across different locations.
3) Enterprise applications
Cloud workers need to securely access a range of applications that enable them to perform tasks effortlessly. Chrome enterprise enables access to SaaS apps, directly from the dock with safe browsing technology to protect users. Google Play gives seamless access to leading apps including: Cisco, Jabber, WebEx and more whilst continuously protecting users. The G suite app is readily available in the dock at every login with no browser setup required
Contact a member of our team today to discuss cloud worker empowerment for your work environment.
Sources:
¹ Forrester, 2018 ‘Rethink technology in the age of the cloud worker’
Dell EMC Modern Server Infrastructure can make a massive difference
Do you wonder how making the move to implement a modern Server Infrastructure can dramatically accelerate IT transformation?
In today’s digital economy, faster IT typically results in a competitive business advantage. A modern IT infrastructure is critical if you want to stay ahead of the game, because it comes with higher levels of process automation—which, in turn, drives increased speed, agility, scalability, reliability and cost-savings.
Implementing a modernised infrastructure is one of the fundamental steps in the journey towards transforming IT. Dell EMC offer Server Solutions designed to deliver IT transformation without compromise.
What makes for a modern Server Environment?
Essentially, it’s an infrastructure that focuses on operational cost-efficiency and puts automation at the forefront, this is achieved technology that can offer:
Scalable business architecture
Intelligent automation
Integrated security
Implementing a smart server refresh to the latest Dell EMC technology is a decision that’s likely to pay for itself several times over in terms of operational improvements and cost efficiencies and IT maturity.
Additionally to this, organisations that operate modern server environments can see many tangible benefits:
Faster application deployments that are more responsive to the rest of the business.
Ability to move staff away from routine management to focus on more strategic IT projects.
Operate compute environments they believe are as good as or better than public cloud services in terms of cost, agility, scalability and security.
If you want to discuss the benefits of Dell EMC Server Solutions, contact us on 0115 846 4000.
If you’d like to find out more about refreshing your Server Technology, use the contact form below to get in touch today.
Breaking the Rules with Intel® Optane™
With many Schools, Universities and Education Establishments needing to provide fast, effective systems, there is pressure on the budgets to upgrade their technology. The good news is Intel have ‘broken the rules’ of previous system memory and introduced breakthrough technology that allows users to take advantage of unprecedented responsiveness and amazing performance.
When used with HDD, Intel Optane memory offers SSD like PC experience that delivers high speed and responsiveness without compromising on storage capacity. The cost for Intel Optane starts from around £37 which means that you can add an accelerator to your system without the high expense of SSD, especially if you need high capacity storage. Optane is compatible with Intel 7th Gen technology motherboards/processors and later, with so many different types of users that can benefit from this.
What is Intel® Optane™?
Available in 16GB or 32GB modules which simply ‘slot’ into your motherboard, Intel Optane acts as an accelerator for your system. It works with a unique combination of 3D XPoint memory media with Intel’s advanced system memory controller, interface hardware, and software IP. What does this mean? It means a smart and adaptable system accelerator that adjusts to your computing tasks — making everything you do faster, smoother, and easier. The intelligent software automatically learns your computing behaviours to accelerate frequent tasks and customise your computer experience, meaning faster searching, faster loading, and a faster system.
How does it benefit me?
Performance gains of upto 28% Faster overall system performance, upto 14x Faster hard drive access, and upto 2x faster everyday task responsiveness
Operational excellence with 3d XPoint Technology gives better endurance and faster than previous NAND Memory.
Predictability where Intel Optane learns to prioritise your files accessed regularly to have them available for you when you need them.
Fast SSD like transfer interface to rival SSD storage. Why not look at options to increase your storage capacity with HDD for lower cost than SSD.
How do I buy?
The best way to upgrade to Intel Optane is to speak to one of our specialists who can talk to you more about the benefits and explain the next steps. If however you want to buy Optane without speaking to our team you can make a purchase via the XMA store.
Contact us on 0115 846 4000 or use the contact form below to get in touch today
Doing a little extra with “Little Extras”
With the unveiling of the 2018 budget last week, it was announced that the government would be investing an additional £400m into schools across England and Wales.
This additional investment was described as giving schools the extra budget for “the odd little piece of kit that they need*” – more specifically, “whiteboards and a couple of computers*”. This will be a one off capital payment direct to schools, averaging £10k per primary and £50k per secondary school.
The government have experienced a huge backlash across the country, with Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, saying “It is a sign of the government’s priorities that it is spending more on fixing potholes than on fixing the school funding crisis.”**
We agree that it is a small investment, and it certainly isn’t enough to help schools stretch to all the necessities they need. However, with our help we can make that additional budget go a lot further than just “a few little extras”. Our experience in doing more with less has supported schools in meeting their goals despite restricted budgets. Innovative technology solutions needn’t cost the earth. They just require careful planning, consideration and future proofing.
We pride ourselves in taking a consultative approach, by taking the time to understand your environment, challenges you currently face, and what your objectives are as a school.
Our specialist Schools team are ready to help you do a little extra with your “little extras”. Get in touch with us today so we can help your budget stretch further.
If you would like a member of our Schools team to contact you to discuss doing a little extra with “Little Extras”, please complete the fields below:
*The Guardian, 2018
** Schools Week, 2018
5 ways to meet changing IT demands
Today’s organisations must have the infrastructure in place to handle both current and emerging workloads.
Here are 5 ways that organisations can look at to meet changing demands in IT.
1. Flexible architecture
Meet today’s workload demands and easily reconfigure your system to respond to changing needs without disruption.
2. Agile IT management
Get unified control, simplified administration and intelligent automation of all system resources across 1000s of nodes and 100s of chassis with Dell EMC OpenManage Enterprise – Modular Edition.
3. Storage density for data-intensive applications
Optimize storage capacity at a granular level for specific workloads, and add solid-state flash and hard-disk drive resources as needed.
4. Responsive design
Responsive Design. Protect your investment with support for at least three future technology cycles with Multi-Generation Assurance.
5. Scaleable fabric and fast networking interconnects
Transfer even the largest data sets quickly and efficiently with support for high-speed interconnects such as PCI-e Gen 4, 25/50/100 Gigabit Ethernet and Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCOE).
Download this FREE report and find out how the modular design of Dell EMC PowerEdge MX can help you scale, secure and simplify your IT.
We’ve got more than 30 years’ experience providing IT solutions for organisations of all sizes.
Choosing the Right Technology: IT procurement Tips for SMEs
A well-considered investment in new technology is an investment in your business’ long-term future.
It’s an exciting time for any organisation. The right tech, whether hardware or software, can transform a firm’s growth potential, helping your business take the next step in its success story. However, it can also be a stressful time as smaller firms don’t necessarily have the kind of in-house IT procurement expertise needed to make important tech investment decisions with confidence.
With so many alternatives on offer, working out the best IT solution for your business isn’t always straightforward – and the implications of getting it wrong can be costly. Here are our thoughts on some of the steps that smart SMEs are taking in order to make sure their technology investment decisions have the desired impact
1. Start at the end
Just like any kind of capital expenditure, the intended benefits of the investment should be well understood before the procurement process starts. The primary reason that SMEs buy new technology is the need to improve performance or optimise a business process, so look at the processes in your business and ask, what should or could be done better, more quickly or more efficiently?
Often the best people to identify these pain points are your workforce. A staff survey can be an effective way to work out how much time is being spent on different activities, which can help to identify and prioritise inefficiencies.
Then you can ask yourself, could technology help to address this?
Are staff spending hours on end in team meetings, for example? Perhaps they need a more effective tool for collaborating, like an Instant Messaging system or a project management app?
Are they taking an age to locate customer files in filing cabinets? In that case, a scanning solution could make that process far more efficient and productive, freeing them up to make an impact elsewhere in the business. A business should only invest once it has clearly identified the processes it needs to change and how new technology can effect that change.
2. Consult and report
So, now you know what you want your new technology to be able to accomplish, it’s essential to consult all the staff who will ultimately be using it about the functions they need.
These are not vague ambitions, but clear objectives that tie in to the needs of the business.
You can also ask them about any other desirable features that would help them do their jobs better.
All these factors should also be ranked according to importance, as budget limitations may not allow you to tick every box, so prioritise the most critical.Some of the issues you will want to consider include usability, security, scalability, functionality, reliability, quality, the provision of support and compatibility with existing systems.
Once your analysis is complete, create a written report that lays out exactly what the investment is designed to achieve, that can be shared with, and signed off by everyone that will be affected. This document will prove invaluable when it comes to navigating through the huge variety of potential solutions that are available.
3. A systematic solution
The huge amount of technology aimed at SMEs can be seen as both a blessing and a curse.
On one hand, it makes it more likely that there is a product out there that precisely suits your circumstances, on the other, finding it could be a real challenge.
Now you have your comprehensive list of requirements, one option is to create a spreadsheet comparing them against a selection of potential solutions.
You can then start narrowing down the list by working out which option fulfils the most criteria to find the best solution.
Of course, cost will be a factor too, but look beyond the initial investment to consider the long-term value, such as the print cost per page provided by a new printer.
If this still seems a little overwhelming, then teaming up with a technology supplier could be the way forward.
4. A helping hand
Don’t think of us just as a supplier with a sharp salesman who’s trying to sell you the most expensive solution they can, regardless of its suitability.
We function more like a trusted procurement partner, who can support you through the decision-making process, installation and bedding in of any new technology.
We want to build a long-term relationship with your business, so it’s in our interest to ensure we provide the right long-term solution for you.
We work hard to understand what businesses need from their technology and develop integrated solutions that enable customers to achieve their goals. And work with you to understand the challenges you face, then introduce services and products that will help you to work smarter and stay ahead of your rivals.
5. Teething troubles and training
Most IT professionals will tell you that, however well planned an installation is, some degree of teething troubles are inevitable.
For small businesses, any period of downtime can have a huge impact, so ready access to technical support and training is essential, especially in the first few months.
Again, we can provide some added value by managing the installation process.
Training ensures that your staff are getting all they can out of a new technology, using it to its full potential and generating the maximum positive impact on productivity, as well as delivering a better Return On Investment (ROI). We can offer training, so you have plenty of options to get the right solution for your business.
Learn how organisations from various sectors are deploying technology to their advantage by visiting our Success in Action page.
