On-premise vs Cloud vs Colocation: Where to store your data
Every company will have different data storage needs. Figuring out which is the best option for your company requires taking into account a number of factors. We have put together pros and cons to...
What is cloud computing? With examples
With over 90% of companies using cloud services in some element of their business, it’s an important modern skill to understand what the cloud is, and its uses. We’ve put together an explanation...
HSCN and public cloud connectivity – connecting healthcare to AWS and Azure
Following the Government Digital Service’s effective green light to public sector use of the public cloud, health and care service providers and clinical application ISVs are keen to exploit public...
What to do when your N3 tokens expire: HSCN remote access
For the last two years people have been transitioning from N3 to HSCN and at the same time, replacing the overlay services they took. With the BT bridging gap from N3 to HSCN collapsing in August...
Telephony: an enabler for the public sector
Over the past five years, with the maturing of G-Cloud and the Cloud First approach, and the more recent green light given by Government to the use of public cloud, the public sector, including the...
Having a different conversation about SD-WAN
One of the issues I have with much of the PR hoopla around SD-WAN is its tendency to major on the cost savings, with the implication that organisations could finally unshackle themselves for good from...
Top 10 questions for choosing a network provider
Proactive management, monitoring, securing and reporting of a complex network are difficult things to get right. Investing in managed network services can appear to be the answer, bringing you better...
Top 10 tips for a smooth migration to IP Telephony
Migrating to an IP telephony solution doesn’t have to cause downtime or disruption. Our tips look at how you can migrate to a IP telephony system smoothly. 1. Develop a strategy based on...
Top 10 benefits of using managed IT services
There was a time when organisations only had to concentrate on their core offer: baking cakes, selling furniture, making cars, providing care etc. But over the past three decades, every specialist...
Shared vs dedicated IaaS
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provides the ability to run many customer servers on the same physical server hardware through the use of server virtualisation. The concept is a repeat of the...
Common problems with onsite data backup
Many companies are still using traditional backup methods which can cause issues and be ineffective in comparison to online data backup solutions. We look at common issues come with traditional onsite...
12 benefits of desktop as a service
Desktop as a Service (DaaS) allows organisations to provide their employees with a virtualised desktop environment to any device, with the data and systems hosted from the cloud. This article looks at...
Using Oracle Data Integrator knowledge modules
This article will review one aspect of the ODI product, the concept of “Knowledge Modules”, and discuss how these can be used to stream-line the ETL development process through the use of...
How public sector organisations can move to the cloud
Legacy environments, ageing hardware and heavily integrate systems are creating a drive for more government departments and public sector bodies to transition to a Cloud-based future to leverage...
Cloud first policy
Back in May 2013, the then coalition government formally introduced the ‘Cloud First’ policy that has done so much subsequently to drive and shape IT procurement and deployment across the public...
Top tips for switching data centres
There are many reasons for relocating your IT equipment to a new data centre, varying from a refresh of equipment currently running in-house to dissatisfaction with an existing data centre to a desire...
What is hybrid cloud?
Hybrid Cloud is starting to influence many an enterprise IT strategy so we take a quick run-through of some of the key things you need to know about IT’s latest trending topic. What is Hybrid...
The differences between business ADSL and home ADSL broadband
ADSL stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line, a broadband communications technology that can run over existing copper telephone lines. Through a single ADSL connection users can make voice calls...
What is cloud collaboration?
When Cloud collaboration happens in an unregulated environment that can’t be audited, where intellectual property can’t be protected, and where data and network security can’t be guaranteed,...
The chance meeting… Or how not to adopt a collaboration solution by accident
We have the skills, the experience and the ability to deliver a ‘best fit’ meeting and collaboration solution for your business. Since the word ‘Skype’ became a slang term for a video call and...
Oracle data integrator: enabling the transition to SOA
This article will review the web service features of ODI and discuss how they can be used to develop and deploy a ‘data service’ layer that will prove critical within a Service Oriented...
Transitioning from N3 to HSCN
By the end of the decade, the NHS’s N3 wide area network will have passed into IT history: as of 2017, the transition to the next generation Health and Social Care Network (HSCN) will begin....
What is IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service)?
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is best visualised as sitting at the base of a three-tier Cloud computing pyramid that also comprises PaaS (Platform as a Service) in the middle and SaaS (Software...
Migrating from Oracle financial analyzer (OFA) to Oracle Hyperion planning
This article compares the two systems and highlights the similarities, differences and details what is to be gained by moving over to Hyperion Planning from OFA. It also looks at the methodology to...
What is PaaS (Platform as a Service)?
Platform as a Service (PaaS) is best visualised as sitting in the middle of a three-tier Cloud computing pyramid that also comprises IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service) and SaaS (Software as a...
Top tips for creating a unified communications strategy
Have a Vision Before you even get to define your business case, proactively engage with your end users to understand how they work today, find out what’s important and how the introduction of a...
What is software as a service (SaaS)?
Software as a Service (SaaS) is best visualised as sitting at the top of a three-tier Cloud computing pyramid that also comprises PaaS (Platform as a Service) in the middle and IaaS (Infrastructure as...
Top 10 tips when considering cloud services
For well over a decade, outsourcing tried to take a foot hold, but only over the last two to three years, things have matured, most notably with providers presenting us with stronger, more compelling...
Migrating from business objects planning to SAP BPC (budget planning and consolidation)
Following the acquisitions of Outlooksoft and Business Objects in 2007, SAP have recently announced a revised go-to-market offering for Planning, Budgeting and Consolidation. As a result of this,...
Top 10 tips for disaster recovery planning
Essentially, the key to Disaster Recovery success is having a realistic and well understood set of objectives that are based on the business needs. This involves planning and preparation, from the...
Confusion reigns: when 20mb/s internet speed is only 2mb/s
The technology industry loves its confusing terminologies and TLAs (three-letter acronyms). Things had improved mainly because of the consumerisation of IT but yet there still exist a lot of different...
Top 10 tips for data recovery planning
What would happen to your business if you experienced a catastrophic data loss? Would your business survive? The statistics are alarming, 43% of businesses never re-open after a major disaster. A well...
Choosing between SQL server mirroring and log shipping: when to go for either
SQL Server professionals have always been locked in the dilemma of which SQL Server High Availability solution to recommend to clients who require a cheap, easy to install and reliable solution. In...
Business impact levels
At Redcentric we’ve a long history of doing business with the public sector, and like anyone else working within this sector we’re well aware of the Government’s Business Impact...
Back to basics – 5 key controls from the cyber essentials scheme
For all the media’s fascination with the apparent inexorability of uber-sophisticated cyber attacks on our nation’s businesses and organisations, recent events have shown that security risks can...
Top 10 tips for data archiving
Given the rate of data growth along with the increasing importance of business information, a cost effective, offsite data archiving service can deliver significant business benefits. A good data...
Orchestrating cloud transformation
These are interesting times for public sector ICT teams. On the one hand, you have Government progressively moving the narrative towards ‘Cloud Native’ – an aspiration for ‘born in the...
Bricks and mortar retailers need to be fast and agile too
Despite the remarkable advances in online shopping, I’m still staggered when the order I submitted late on Sunday evening turns up at my front door before midday on Monday. How do they do that? As...
Why HSCN is better than N3
As of April this year, all health and care organisations will fully transition to the Health and Social Care Network (HSCN), leaving N3 a thing of IT past. For over fifteen years, N3 has provided a...
Top 10 tips for choosing a data backup service
Data backup is required by all businesses. With legal requirements tightening and data volumes growing out of control, traditional tape backup is no longer a reliable or cost effective means of...
Tuning up for devops
As DevOps moves from early adopter territory into the mainstream, there is the inevitable evolution in how it is described. As with Agile before it, ask twenty people to define DevOps and you’ll get...
Blurred lines – who owns the data on your mobile phone?
According to recent research by CompTIA only 4% of firms have actually rolled out a full Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policy. In it’s Third Annual Trends in Enterprise Mobility research, CompTIA...
Digitising the NHS and connecting to AWS
In 2016 Redcentric announced that it was offering connectivity to Amazon Web Services (AWS), which was a logical move given customer demand for AWS requiring N3 connectivity and cloud services. We...
Cloud contingency planning – head to the middle of the road
Another week and another cloud service provider bites the dust. OK, so I am being a little dramatic, it’s been a few months since the last high profile closure. But whether it’s one day or 100...
Firewalls: to manage or not to manage – that is the question
As threats continue to evolve and evade traditional security measures, these next generation solutions are able to provide advanced application level security to protect the network while delivering...
Top 10 things to know about 21CN
We look at the features and benefits of the BT 21CN network as well as common questions about the service. 1. WHAT IS BT’S 21CN? BT is investing billions of pounds in changing out the various UK...
ISDN30 or SIP: is service being sacrificed to revenue?
There’s no doubt that the advantages of SIP trunking over ISDN30 are being recognised but anecdotal evidence from our customers suggests that many network providers are reluctant to actively sell...
Dynamic communication and collaboration in the NHS
Communication technology is so ubiquitous in our personal lives that we forget it can be a challenge to implement effective communication technology in the workplace. Decades of siloed infrastructure...
Getting into the it fast lane with purchasing frameworks
Public sector procurement of IT services and products has undergone something of a makeover in recent years. When once we ran slow, onerous, cumbersome and expensive processes, today things are...
SD-WAN Benefits: Why it’s good business
I’ve been asked a couple of times recently whether our support for SD-WAN is a bit like turkeys voting for Christmas? After all, Redcentric has built a business on managed networking and the...
Voice: not so much a protocol, more a service
An article in CRN argues that many users do not understand the risks of Internet telephony. The author, the CEO of a security consultancy, is right to be concerned about the complexities and...
Did you know? Interesting data and storage facts
As an IT professional with a particular interest in data and Cloud services, I often stumble across nuggets of information that grab my attention. I’m sure I’m not alone in my fondness for facts...
How a disaster recovery plan could save retailers
Over the past decade no other industry has been disrupted by technology quite as much as retail; so much so, consumers now consider retailers without up-to-date technology to be untrustworthy....
Byod and myod beware – choose cyod instead
2017 will be the adoption tipping point for Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) policies according to a recent Gartner report. In just three years from now we’ll see more employees accessing corporate...
From virtual to reality: what you need to know about persistent and non persistent virtual desktops
According to market analyst company, The 451 Group, the market for virtualised desktop environments (VDI) is estimated to reach $5.6billion by next year. With the ability to provide high performance...
Citrix on Azure ‘a powerful combination’
Twenty years ago many organisations were looking at the Microsoft and Citrix combination to help them engineer a server back-end that could simplify and streamline sysadmin, extend the life of ageing...
Things to consider when migrating unified communications into the cloud
Unified Communications (UC) solutions are moving into the cloud, at pace, and this year, with particular focus on collaboration as a UC adjunct, will function as the tipping point for this migration....
Infrastructure transformation across the NHS
Combining LDRS, STPS and the Nhs Five Year Forward View As the NHS continues its program of digital transformation, technology strategies also have to change and mould in order to adhere to the...
Beginner’s Guide to Server Room Air Conditioning
Welcome to Redcentric’s guide to server room air conditioning and cooling in a data centre. Even if you’ve never looked into cooling options before, by the end of this guide, you’ll...
Data Centre Tiers Explained
In this article we’re going to be talking about the different data centre tier levels, what they cover and whether they’re still relevant. The data centre tier levels were first started by...
Data Centres are the Future of Green Technology
As global use of the internet rises sharply each year, data centres might be the only way to keep this enormous industry energy efficient. Why is internet use such an impact on energy consumption?...
Firewalls Explained: Types of Firewalls
Firewalls are an essential part of a company’s cyber security, but there are different types of firewall available and you need to deploy the correct firewall for your company to ensure you are...
What is Cloud? IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, public, private & hybrid cloud
What is the cloud? Think of your own personal computer (PC) and all the data (documents, images, videos, applications etc.) that is stored on it, as well as the programs (email, games, word processor)...
DDoS attack: how can one affect your business?
DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) is an effective and dangerous form of cyber attack that requires specific protections in place to defend your IT. How does a DDoS attack work? DDoS attacks flood...
FM200 Fire Suppression
What is FM-200 and how does fire suppression work in a data centre? As a professional data centre operator, we utilise a variety of systems to ensure that your IT equipment is safe from the effects...
What is a data centre?
Everyone needs to back up their computer data including things like documents, customer details and financial information to keep it safe from theft, fire or being accidentally deleted. And most small...
Public vs Private vs Hybrid Cloud – how to decide
Unsurprisingly hybrid cloud has become the cloud model of choice for many organisations that want to build greater flexibility into their infrastructure in a cost effective and future proof manner....