4 Reasons to Install Windows 10 Right Now

Let's not even talk about Windows 8 or Windows 8.1. They are best forgotten, just like Windows ME or Windows Vista. After Windows 7, the proper operating system to hit the market is Windows 10. And with Windows 7 is almost at the end of its lifetime, it is high time to migrate to Windows 10.  Windows 7 to 10 migration has multiple benefits which we will discuss briefly.

1.    Receive regular updates: Windows 7 will retire later this year which means you will not receive any update. This will make the computer vulnerable to hacking threats. With Windows 10, you will receive not only the latest security features but also get periodic updates which will keep you safe from modern hacking tools and attempts.

2.    Increased employee productivity: Survey has proved that Windows 10 increases employee productivity in an organisation. If that is to be believed, then your organisation stands to gain a lot from this migration.

3.    Better built-in software: Windows 10 comes with many modern software and applications. For example, the latest browser from Microsoft, Edge, is the best browser from the company and that is installed in Windows 10 by default. These modern applications are better suited to handle the modern computing needs. 

4.    Improved speed: Windows 10 is faster than Windows 7. In fact, this is the fastest yet operating system from Windows. The increased speed will surely increase the way things move in the organisation.

Read More

Modernise Your Legacy Applications To Save Effort and Money

One of the most common problems faced by almost every old organisation is how to migrate the so called legacy applications. These applications, which have aged since their inception, are actually still capable of delivering what they were created to deliver but they are unable to cope up with the changing business environments or the expansion of the business or even are incompatible with the newer computing environment.

Additional issues which might pop up, complicating the case further, is the paucity of staffs who know how to handle and maintain these applications. There would be hardly any updated documentation and adding new functionalities which might become necessary during the course of time will be difficult while keeping the original architect intact.
 

Building a new application is always a solution but that might not take advantage of the investment made in the research and development of the original software. It might also fail to utilise the collection of enterprise data which has been captured by the existing organisational architecture. Finding a third-party solution is another way of handling the crisis but there is hardly ready-to-use application which has every feature which the organisation needed.

Rather than waiting for a long time to build a perfect replacement which might never take form and which might also become outdated even before it is implemented, migrating the legacy application to a modern system might be an excellent idea. You can retain the original architecture yet install all the modern and needed features into the system.

Read More

Are The Boards Prepared for Cyber Attacks?

The possible negative effect of cyber attack on a business is so grave that it is time for the cybersecurity and information risk management is to be elevated and have its own category of INFOSEC (information security) and should be reported to the CXO level.  

Board of director, chief information security officer, general counsels and chief risk officers need to comprehend and monitor the planning and readiness to address the threats of cyberattack. 
 

A recent study by a prominent body in cyber security found out that one third of all the general counsels surveyed believe that their board is not ready to handle cyber attack real time. Less than half of the CEOs said that their companies have a formulated and approved method for handling cyber attack. However, on a positive note, almost four fifth of all the general counsel and CEOs said that they are ready to detect a cyber security breach. This also indicates that there is a stark difference between being mentally ready or aware and to have a written strategy to combat the threat. In an older survey of 2012 by Carnegie Mellon decided that boards are not actively preparing for the threats for cyber attack. 

Only one fourth of the respondents, all of whom are from Forbes Global 2000 companies, review the top-level privacy and information technology policies on a regular basis and approve them. However, a dismal 40% respondents said that they hardly ever do it, if ever. These figures are worrying and a call for the board members to pay more attention to cyber attack threats.

Read More

What Is The Difference Between MSI And EXE Installations?

MSI packaging is considered to be the future of application packaging and Microsoft encourages software developers and administrators to reformat the EXE packages to MSI packages. MSI packages are created according to the standard definition created by the Windows Installer Technology from Microsoft. This means that all the MSI packages which are created using different packaging tools have similar deployment and management system. EXE files, on the other hand, are just executable files which don't adhere to any defined standard. Depending on the creation tool used, an EXE installation might have different customised options for installation and uninstallation, error handling process and deployment method.

As there are no single standard for EXE installation, different vendors use different set of standards to create their own executables. Thus, two installers, created by two different creation tools, namely Wise Studio and InstallSheild will have everything different. This is a major headache for every network administrators who are often required to push unattended remote software installation and uninstallation and are responsible for software infrastructure of an organisation. Moreover, most of the EXE installers don't support silent mode of installation.

A typical EXE set up has different interactive options during the installation and the user needs to click on different options during different steps of the installation. Thus, the IT guy needs to click on those options on every computer they want to install the software on, one by one. This can be very time-consuming and almost impossible if the plan is to install it remotely.

Read More

Two Basic Requirements to Ensure Safer Application Packaging

The growing advent of PCs and handheld devices are forcing system administrators to use much advanced and technologically sound software to ensure optimal speed and performance while computing. One of the greatest challenges that most of the system administrators and software developers face while creating an organization’s image, logo, or even repackaged image is bundling the software inclusions in a proper package. There are plenty of application packaging tools available on the web to ensure that your final output meets industrial norms and regulations at par, but selecting the best out of many is the biggest challenge. Read below to know about two basic requirements that you must check before releasing software to the network:

1.    Create Your Packaging Environment

It is mandatory to prepare the packaging environment properly to ensure that the final output is flawless and functions optimally to match your expected returns. If you’re new to application packaging tasks, then put the proper tools in place, create a database system to store all package information, and take a backup of your software package to avoid any glitches in the future.

2.    Make Proper Workflows

If you’re working on getting right people to do the right job concept, then it is important to make everything available as per their requirements. Create detailed workflows to describe your actual requirements and final outcome to avoid confusions and misconceptions during packaging and testing process. Ensure that you enlist step by step guidelines to help them package the final software with utmost perfection and great ease.

Read More

Simple Tips to Perform Windows 7 to 10 Migration with Great Ease

Windows 10 is the new talk of the town and its impressive features is making everyone interested in downloading and using the same. If you don’t wish to perform a clean install, then you can easily perform the Windows 7 to 10 migration process in no time. Upgrading your existing OS to Win 10 can help in keeping all your applications, files, and folder structures in place. Read the following tips to ensure that you perform the Windows 10 upgrade process with ease and comfort, without losing any of your important files:

What All You’ll Need?

•    An Activated Copy of Windows

•    The Appropriate Windows 10 Update Tool

Tips to Perform the Windows 7 to 10 Migration with Ease

1.    Run the installer tool, Media Creation Tool, to begin

2.    Select the ‘Upgrade this PC now’ option and click ‘Next’

3.    It will start downloading and unpacking the installation media

4.    Click the ‘Accept’ option to accept the terms of the license agreement

5.    The installer will select the largest “what to keep” selection or you can modify the selection as per your preferences

6.    If you feel confused, the click the ‘Help me decide’ link for more information

7.    Once you’re ready for the upgrade, then click ‘Next’ to proceed.

8.    Provide confirmation on the ‘Ready to install’ screen by clicking the ‘Install’ button

9.    Your PC will reboot a few times as the installer works.

10.    Once done, you’ll be returned to the Windows login screen.

Read More

How a SCCM Asset Management Tool Can Benefit an IT Firm?

Since all the management tools and programs aims at delivering streamlined experience to potential clients and customers, many of them just empathize on making your professional life easier by simply organizing everything. One of the biggest advantages to IT firms and organizations is deployment of SCCM asset management tools, which help them to facilitate integration and federation in various other IT systems. The entire process incorporates organizing, managing, and tracking the data included in Active Directory, Help Desks and other discovery tools. If you’re new to these tools and their functioning, then read below to understand how they can help in managing IT firm with great ease and comfort:

How SCCM Asset Management Tools Can Help?

One of the biggest advantages of deploying all such tools is that they enable you to access a holistic view of the entire IT infrastructure in one go.  Using this tool is quite similar to that of accessing an easy to use browser based application, which can be easily managed and tweaked as per user’s preferences and customer’s specifications.

Another major advantage of using such applications at business locations is that they help in keeping a track of non-domain Windows Nodes, Linux, Network Equipment, Unix and MAC, IP Phones and other networked devices to ensure that the Windows Endpoint Inventory covers all IP based IT assets. Additionally, some of these tools also allow you to enter the asset details manually for ensuring that the record-keeping gets completed in a proper manner. One of the biggest advantages of deploying these programs in IT industry is that professionals can now access browser based interface without installation.

Read More