Google I/O 2013 Live Blog

Are You Still Paying Your IT Provider on a Per Device Basis?

Traditionally IT Support has been charged on a per device basis. However with the onset of cloud computing this pricing model is starting to fall over.

In the old days your employee would travel to an office where their desktop computer would be kept overnight. They would turn it on, load up Outlook and work on that one device until 5:30pm. Then head off home.

Cloud computing has changed all this. Your employee is now connected to your business network 24/7 on any device from any location. Cloud has also introduced the concept of 'Bring Your Own Device' (BYOD). If you're unfamiliar with BYOD, then rather than your business supplying a computer or mobile phone to your employee, BYOD allows your employee to connect to your business networks using their own devices.

As a consequence of BYOD, the amount of devices your employees have are adding up. It is almost guaranteed they use at least two devices for work - their desktop computer and their smartphone. In some cases they will have more - maybe a laptop and a tablet to throw into the mix. If you are paying on a per device basis for IT support the costs for supporting all these different devices can start to add up.

We found with the 'per devices' plans small businesses would pick and choose which devices they would like supported and which they would not, looking for ways to reduce the cost of IT Support. This is not a good situation for a small business to be in. Ideally a small business owner would like all their devices supported.

Per user pricing gives your business better IT support coverage

What we have come up with is a fresh approach for IT Support. Rather than charging our clients on a 'per device' basis we now charge on a 'per user' basis.

With a 'per user' pricing strategy we can support all your employees devices for one flat fee. This means you as a business owner will no longer need to pick and choose which devices are supported. With 'per user' pricing every device that an employee is using is supported.

Instantly Back Up your Android Photos with Google+

Wouldn't it be great if as soon as you took a photo on your Android device the photo is almost instantly backed up to the cloud. Using the Google+ app for Android you can. And all your instantly uploaded photos are kept in a private album.

What you need to do

- Download the Google+ app from Google Play to your device

- Open the ‘Google+’ app and go to ‘settings’

- Select instant upload and then flick the 'on' switch in the top right

- You’re all set

Next time you take a photo it will instantly be uploaded to your private Google+ photo album.

Back up your previous photos

Additionally, further down in the settings menu you can select ‘Upload now’ to force an upload of your photos. But the bonus here is that this will upload all the photos you have taken that have not been uploaded before. It is even retrospective so photos in your gallery taken before Google+ App was installed will also be uploaded to your private album.

View your instantly uploaded photos on line

Visit Google+ and on the navigation on the left hover your mouse over the 'photos' icon. You will then be able to select and view your instant upload album. With the option to easily share the best.

Richard Tubb: Moving From Microsoft 365 To Google Apps

+Richard Tubb  was kind enough to participate in this Google Apps interview. We discuss his move from Microsoft 365 and the features of Google Apps which have helped streamline the running of his business.

5 Myths About Security with Google Apps

Four million businesses are already using Google Apps for Business. It’s helping them be more productive, improve teamwork and reduce costs. But some business owners still have concerns about security. And we understand. When it’s your business on the line, you don’t want to take
any chances.





There are a lot of myths about security in the cloud. Here are a few worth busting:

Myth: Google will sell my information.

Fact: On Google Apps, your data will always belong to you.

Unless you use your services to do so, we do not share your data with other people (barring the
very special cases covered in Google's privacy policy). In fact, we don’t sell, trade or rent any personally
identifiable user information at all. Your information is your information - and that’s the way it
will stay.

Myth: If it’s on the internet, it’s more vulnerable to hackers.

Fact: Your data is safer in the cloud than it is in your office.

We protect your data in transit over the internet with SSL encryption. Our large information security
team constantly monitors our global network of data centres to keep your data safe when it is in
our care. Our admin and security controls passed a ISAE 3402 Type II audit and we are the first
Cloud based messaging and collaboration suite to achieve US FISMA (Federal Information Security
Management Act) certification. You can also choose two-step authentication in addition to a
password to make unauthorised access much harder.

Myth: I’ll never be able to get my data back if I change my mind.

Fact: You can export your data wherever and whenever you want it.

We’ll keep your data for as long as you have an account with us - but if you do want it back, we have
tools to help you export your emails, diaries, contacts, documents and sites. You can, for example,
export your documents to various Microsoft-compatible formats. Find out more at Google’s Data
Liberation Front.

Myth: Google can read my email and documents.

Fact: Google cannot read your email and documents.

Google employees may not access the data in your account outside of extremely special
circumstances for which we will still require your permission (See Google's privacy policy for details).

Myth: Most businesses’ existing systems are secure enough.

Fact: Not so much.

Our research has shown that most owners and managers of small businesses dangerously
overestimate their current level of security. They don’t have recent back-ups and don’t secure them
off-site (with Google Apps, data is automatically backed up in our global data centres, protecting
it from accidental damage, loss, theft and fire). They don’t have a disaster recovery plan for when
things go wrong (we guarantee 99.9% uptime and offer robust, built-in disaster recovery - better
than most in-house hardware and software). And they don’t encrypt their valuable data (with Google
Apps, all data is encrypted in transit and access is further secured by two-step authentication,
meaning data is far more secure in our cloud than it would be stored locally on a laptop).

Gmail Labs: Green Robot!

For those who missed the first blog post in this series Gmail Labs are a group of experimental features that can be turned on. Just remember though:

Labs is a testing ground for experimental features that aren't quite ready for prime time. They may change,break or disappear at any time.

Green Robot!

Green Robot is as a small but really useful feature for instant messaging in Gmail.

Gmail chat status (those green, orange and red bubbles) indicate if your colleges are available to chat or if they're online or not. However, sometimes a colleague may appear green (online) when in fact there passively online. The most common case is when a college is using their mobile device and have left the chat service running in the background.

What Green Robot does is change the bubble icon to a robot icon when a colleague is on their Android device. Helping you to decide whether to tailor your conversation to the type of device your colleague is using. Its also helpful in knowing what device your colleague is on. As it may take a bit longer to get a response if they are using a mobile device.

Sometimes it is the small things that really do make a difference. We automatically activate this functionality for all out Google Apps for Business clients.

Can Your Employees Work From Home During The Big Freeze?

Today we planned to film a Google Apps client story. However, the 'Big Freeze' currently hitting Birmingham has prevented the filming from going ahead. The producer and cameraman both live in the Alcester countryside and are snowed in. Additionally, our client who we planned to feature in the film have taken the wise decision to work from home this week.

Cloud Computing Made It Possible

A few months ago it would not have been possible for the companies employees to work from home. The company where using Microsoft small business server and Microsoft Office. While it is possible for remote access it would have required a complicated and expensive network to be set up. And a similar complex method for users to connect.

In November 2012 we moved the company to the cloud. The biggest change was the introduction of Google Apps for Business to replace Outlook and Office. It took a weekend to set-up. On the Monday after set-up employees where no longer tied to their office. They could easily access company data, emails, calendars and more, securely on their home computers, laptops and mobile devices. 

The 'Big Freeze' currently hitting Birmingham has really proven the value of having a pure cloud computing system. Unlike many small business, our clients employees no longer have to attempt a dangerous commute to the office. The company does not have to shut for the day or run reduced hours. They are able to continue to function as normal. With out loosing any business.

Cloud Computing For Your Business

We have a whole section on out website explaining cloud computing and how it can assist your business. Have a look and get in contact if you want some advice on how 'The Cloud' can help you.