Well, it was a slightly scary time around the office, and beads of sweat could be seen forming on various foreheads, but the results are now in…

We have successfully passed our first annual audit from BSI for our accreditation to the ISO 9001:2008 quality standard with flying colours!

This means that, for another year, we will be able to display the much sought after BSI kitemark.  The great thing was that the auditors were genuinely impressed with how our quality processes work, and the way in which we have truly adopted the ISO 9001 framework to run our business.

The feedback we have had from customers was looked at carefully as part of our audit, and really proved the value of the system we have in place.  It isn’t about getting everything right first time – it’s about being able to identify and analyse if things do go wrong, and learning from those mistakes, so they don’t happen again.

It’s always nerve-wracking in the run up to an external audit and this one was no exception.  However, it quickly became clear that we were hitting the mark and my nerves started to subside.  In the end, the audit went extremely well and the report even comments on how we’re using our quality management system to improve the business, which is what it’s all about at the end of the day!

We see great value from using the ISO 9001 approach for all our processes – it is a major feature of our scope for the standard that we are accredited for everything that we do, not just a few of our processes.

Our customers are happy, BSI were impressed, and we are delighted.  We can’t wait until the next one, next year!

To learn more about how we use ISO 9001 to make our customers happy, just drop me a line from our Meet the Team page by clicking this link: Eximium Meet the Team Page

How will you adapt in order to survive the credit crunch?

As we see more and more high street shops falling around us, the uneasy feeling caused by the economic downturn is ever more difficult to ignore. The reduction in spending, experienced by the High Street, comes as shoppers are faced with soaring inflation, falling house prices and banks hiking up the cost of borrowing. Spending on the internet however, is rising. Traditionally the second Monday in December is known as ‘Cyber’ or ‘Mega’ Monday, as it is the biggest sales event of the year. The internet trade body, the IMRG expects internet retail sales to increase by 15 per cent this year, with customers predicted to spend an estimated £13.16bn online in the lead up to Christmas and a new record for internet sales volumes was set last Monday - typically the biggest trading day of the week online.

There are obvious categories that seem very well suited to selling online. Music, and increasingly games and films, can be bought and downloaded there and then. Availability is often better and you can find pretty much any book or DVD you want online. Sales of more tangible items, such as clothing, also do very well. As an example, online fashion retailer Asos doesn’t seem to be suffering the same fate as the High Street, recording 104% sales growth in the six months to the end of September. There are also benefits to moving online for the retailers themselves. It’s much cheaper to run a business online. The computer screen becomes your shop window, so you don’t need all those expensive high street branches, with high rents, staff to be paid, and energy bills. So it’s no surprise that internet shopping now accounts for around 7% of total sales, and is still growing fast. It seems that internet retailers definitely have the edge.

IT is definitely the way forward, as people are proving by their spending habits. As a business owner you need to ensure that your IT is working effectively for you. Good IT systems can save you money and increase productivity in any business sector, but if you have the advantage of providing a product or service that could be marketed through the internet, it’s something which you should seriously consider.  Improving the efficiency of your IT doesn’t have to be expensive either, as is often thought. Sometimes, a minor change to a system you are already using can make a dramatic difference.

For a free, no obligation consultation to evaluate your existing IT, click the following link;

http://www.eximium.net/factfind.asp

Eximium engaged by Denplan to help improve key IT system and processes

I’m excited to announce that we’ve been engaged by a major new customer, Denplan in Winchester, to help with their systems development work.

Denplan is the UK’s leading dental payment plan provider, with approximately 80% share of the dental payment plan market.  There are 6,500 treating dentists across the UK (approximately a third of practising dentists) treating over 1.8 million Denplan patients.  They are rated 6th in the ‘Sunday Times Best 100 Companies to Work For 2008′, recognised as an Investor in People, and are an appointed representative of AXA PPP Healthcare Ltd.

We’ll be complimenting their existing IT department, and their other IT providers, by supplying help, advice and development effort.  They use a package for their insurance processes that we have a good deal of experience of.  We will be spending time working with their business people to help them improve process efficiency and generally adding value to the business by getting their system doing more for them - a key part of what we are all about!

As always, there are plenty of niggly issues with the current systems and processes that we’ll be able to help them sort out.  More importantly, we’ll also be helping them expand the system to support their strategic plans and objectives.

Obviously, we’re always delighted to take on a new client, but large customers like Denplan are even more exciting as the possibilities for us to increase the business benefits of their IT systems are extremely far reaching.

Watch this space for news of successful projects!

For further information about Denplan, you can view their website from this link: http://www.denplan.co.uk

Choosing the right IT supplier

Assessing and implementing alongside the IT requirements of any business is usually a dreaded headache which a lot of business owners put off and finally tackle reluctantly.  There are a lot of myths and confusing  jargon associated with IT, but it really doesn’t need to be as scary or confusing as you might think. 

I read a useful article recently by Mark Greatrex, who is product and services director with Lakeview.  They are a provider of bespoke software for business management, accounting and manufacturing control.  In his article, Mark sets out clear steps you should take to help you chose the right IT supplier.

I totally agree with what Mark is saying and I’m pleased to say that our approach fits well with the points that he raises.

Mark suggests you should check you’re getting the best out of the systems you already have in place.  We often find that our customers believe a system is capable of doing a specific thing for them, only to find that they need an additional module to make it work.  At other times, it is simply that the settings on the system in question are wrong.  You might find that little or no additional spend is necessary and a simple adjustment could be all you need to allow your business to become the streamlined operation you originally envisaged.

He also says that your staff may need some additional training in order to use the system in the most efficient way possible. Some software providers fall by the way side when it comes to after sales service, training and customer care. It’s worth researching the possibility of some independent training, as there’s every chance that this gap has been noticed and that training courses are available in that area.  For example, our training courses are tailored to business people who want to learn essential IT skills, but are not interested in the technological complexities behind the scenes.

He mentions that budget is always a deciding factor of any new purchase.  Be sure to set out a clear budget from the very beginning. If you do find that you need to purchase additional systems, don’t be tempted to buy new technology for the sake of it.  Only buy what you need.  Excess technology can be a hindrance, as it can make things over complicated.

Mark states that the relationship you have with your IT supplier is key.  They should listen to your requirements and advise when they feel it is necessary.  A responsible supplier will help you to fulfil your requirements in the most efficient and cost effective way for you and not bombard you with jargon or new technology.  This is part of our commitment to our customers.  With us, you are dealing with people who understand your needs, can talk to you about them in plain English, and get your IT delivering what it truly can to make your business more profitable.

For more information about us, or to contact us, please go to www.eximium.net. 

To read Mark’s full article see http://www.smeweb.com/technology/features/top-tips-on-selecting-an-it-supplier.html.

Security vendors team up for better product testing

Specialist antivirus companies hope to devise a new methodology to enable users to compare their software. The group of leading IT security vendors have teamed up to devise a new standard for testing the effectiveness of their products.

Panda, AV-Test, Symantec, Kaspersky and F-Secure have formed the Anti-malware Testing Taskforce to help users of their software to better compare one system with another. The new methodology will be based on behavioural analysis, which replicates how a PC would deal with a threat.

At the moment, most comparisons of security software look at the signature databases – the information used to recognise viruses and other malware from their “signature” or identifiable characteristics. Behavioural analysis is believed to provide a better evaluation of the product’s effectiveness, according to Panda.

“This sounds like a good industry initiative which involves many respected names” comments Eximium’s Derrick Cameron. “Anything that either raises the profile of security or makes it easier for business to identify the best product for them has got to be welcomed” he adds.

The formation of the group follows several low profile meetings in Vienna Iceland and Seoul. The initial proposal for testing is due to be published by the end of this year. It is believed that other organisations have been invited to join, and a management team will be put together next month to design a testing template which allows a clear standard for testing.

Firms should think about email leaks

Around half of all employees have sent emails to the wrong person. In a month dominated with news headlines over missing data on disc, a new report shows that misfiring e-mails can cause serious problems for leaked data. Businesses are increasingly concerned about sensitive company information being leaked by email.

Research conducted by IT security firm Sophos has highlighted the problem and concludes that half of all employees have admitted to sending an embarrassing or sensitive email to the wrong person. The potential level of trouble for a company is high because as much as 80 per cent of a company’s business records are contained in emails.

“As more and more business and personal interaction is conducted via work email, the risk of clicking send without double-checking the recipient’s details is growing,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

“I think most people have experienced that heart-stopping moment when they realise that their message is heading towards the wrong person. I received an e-mail last week revealing an MD of a company has serious mental issues verging on a breakdown. The e-mail was rapidly recalled but by that time I had read it and the damage could have been serious” says Derrick Cameron MD of IT firm Eximium “Technology can make human error faster and more damaging”

There is now technology which scans messages for sensitive data and keywords, and that uses encryption to ensure that business critical emails are sent securely. “Most data leakage on email is accidental and not malicious. Companies should put a solid security policy in place, and educate employees on how to use email with care. Whilst this won’t eliminate the problem, it will reduce the number of red faces experienced in 2008” says Cameron.

Security experts forecast stormy 2008

Malware is set for record year as internet users are likely to see continued attacks in 2008. The Storm malware started attacking users in January 2007 and the code has now been released in many variations. The fear is that the team behind it will carry out further attacks, and that its success will prompt others to try and cash in.

“2007 was the year of prolific cyber-crime, and certain gangs became famous within the security industry,” said Mark Sunner, chief security analyst at MessageLabs. “Their notoriety encourages an influx of new players wanting their slice of success, and the threat market is set to be even larger in 2008.”

“I hope it doesn’t happen, but an increase will also reflect in the techniques adopted by the bad guys. The main weakness of cyber-crime is predictability so repeat attacks will be avoided at all costs” comments Derrick Cameron from IT firm Eximium.

So far instant messaging spam, which was predicted to rise sharply this year, has so far failed to become a serious problem. However, this is likely to change in 2008 as spammers send out messages in blocks of a few hundred, waiting to see if a response is made, and then repeating as necessary.

“Spammers will need to try new tactics because spam effectiveness rates are falling due to better filtering and user education. Sadly this a trend likely to emerge in 2008” comments Cameron.

IT adds value to UK economy

The development of software has become an investment rather than a cost to the UK economy.

The first official measurement of the value of in-house software development has shown an addition of £8.3bn to the UK economy.

The Office of National Statistics showed a 0.6 per cent increase in 2006 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that can be attributed to the long-term economic potential of software developed by IT departments.

The figures have arisen as a result of measuring bespoke applications as an investment instead of a cost – previously only packaged software was recorded this way.

“Proper IT systems should always be viewed as an investment rather than a cost,” comments Derrick Cameron from business IT specialist Eximium. “Our clients tell us that a return on investment can be rapidly achieved. There really is no other way to look at software development – it can be one of the best investments a company makes.”
Professor of Economics at Queen Mary College, Jonathan Haskel, says the new calculations could have a knock-on effect for the economy. “If there is more capacity in the economy resulting from greater investment than previously thought, the Bank of England can run the economy at a faster rate without worrying about inflation”, he says.

This is the first time that the added value to the economy that IT development represents has been officially acknowledged within Government statistics.

Eximium becomes a McAfee partner

Business IT specialists Eximium have announced a new partnership agreement with international security software provider McAfee.

The Luton based firm are already a registered Microsoft partner and believe that this new relationship with one of the world’s biggest IT security software companies will have a number of benefits for their customers.

“There are a huge number of products on the market and we carefully evaluate anything before we consider re-selling. After extensive testing we were very impressed with the McAfee products ability to cope with viruses and spam, its flexibility, and the fact that it allows us to install and update the product on our clients’ computers quickly and without leaving the office. This means we can offer a faster service but for less money” comments Eximium’s Technical Director, Derrick Cameron.

UK businesses under renewed attack from virus and spam attacks

According to the 2006 Annual Security Report published by MessageLabs, viruses and spam attacks are on the increase.

The key findings of the report include the frightening conclusion that spam volumes have increased by 70% in the last quarter of 2006. The outlook for 2007 looks bad for UK businesses, as they will be increasingly targeted by more malicious messaging attacks than previously.

Small to medium sized businesses are becoming a greater target, as they are often a gateway into larger organisations who they serve.

After reviewing the reports findings, Derrick Cameron, Technical Director for business IT specialist Eximium, concludes that “The report highlights just how important it is to get your email security working properly and explore new solutions”. He also feels it is vital to review security measures “A lot of attacks involve ‘social engineering’, where members of staff are manipulated into giving out secure information by people posing as employees, security staff, etc. It is important to have a clear security policy to guard your valuable information and to be vigilant against this type of attack”.

Eximium is investigating new cost effective ways to guard remotely against viruses and spam and can be contacted directly for more information on how to prevent security breaches.

Eximium selected by Total Systems plc as IT recruitment partner

IT recruitment specialists Eximium are delighted to announce that they have been selected by Total Systems plc to undertake their IT recruitment provision.

The city based software house decided to sign a recruitment contract with Eximium after being impressed by their expertise in the IT recruitment field.

Total Systems plc was founded in 1971 and employs over 50 staff. They specialise in the area of insurance software and have created several products targeting the Finance sector. The company was admitted to the main LSE in 1995.

“We are delighted that Total Systems have chosen us to help them expand their already excellent team. Because we are IT experts ourselves, it makes it easy for us understand their needs, and to provide very effective selection, interviewing and vetting services, to get the right candidates for them, saving them both time and money” comments Derrick Cameron, Eximium’s Technical Director.

“I am impressed with Eximium’s interview reports - I wish all the agencies we use supplied such good information” says Clive Dutton, Operations Director for Total Systems plc.