Centerprise celebrates winning major contract with HM Treasury

Centerprise International (Ci) has won a major four-year contract to deliver media and wireless ICT services to the Treasury.

The Basingstoke-based IT services specialist has been awarded the first contract in the Treasury’s HMTICT2015 Programme.

The programme introduces several contracts to replace current services provided by a single supplier responsible for delivering the restricted and unclassified network, hosting and development of applications, service, and end-user computing.

In line with the current direction of Government ICT to deliver efficiencies in its supply chain and to encourage SME participation, the Treasury is breaking up the single provider arrangement into a number of managed service contracts.

Being awarded the first is a significant milestone for Basingstoke-based Ci, a leading supplier of managed IT hardware and services, as this is its first Central Government contract and coincides with the business’s 30-year anniversary.

Jeremy Nash, systems integrators business manager at Centerprise, said: “This is a big win for us. We are an SME employing about 130 people, so to be able to compete for Central Government contracts opens up a whole other level of business for us.

“We have a great deal of experience working in defence, education and wider public sector markets, so we are delighted to be given this opportunity.”

More than 100 companies, about a third of which were SMEs, showed an interest in the ICT 2015 opportunity. Ci competed for the Media and Wireless Tower and will provide:

• support and maintenance of a wireless infrastructure and associated services
• support and maintenance of a TV distribution infrastructure and service
• support and maintenance of unclassified end user devices and associated services
• cloud-based Video Conferencing Services
• on-site support services that include an ICT Loan service and a service to ensure meeting rooms are in working order

Ci will deliver its ‘business class’ video conferencing service into the ICT2015. The system is platform-agnostic – meaning it works across any network and any device to offer a low-cost, ultra-reliable and highly secure way to hold meetings, conferences and business catch-ups

 The service is hosted on a secure network and in the cloud, minimising the need to install equipment.

The service is fully supported by Ci so organisations do not need to put any time or manpower into keeping it maintained. The system operates on a low fixed monthly fee for unlimited use and makes use of real time activity monitoring to ensure it delivers high quality video and audio to a consistently high standard.

For more information, visit: www.centerprise.co.uk/vc

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Businesses warned to act now as Windows XP deadline looms

There are just two weeks to go until Microsoft pulls the plug on its Windows XP operating system – and businesses are being warned to act now or  face falling victim to hackers and viruses.

Support for Windows XP will officially end in a fortnight’s time on Tuesday April 8, which means Microsoft will no longer issue updates to patch bugs and security vulnerabilities.

It is thought that around 30 per cent of desktop computers are still running XP, meaning that hundreds of businesses only have a short time to act to keep their systems secure to make sure they are safe from viruses.

Centerprise International, based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, a leading supplier of managed computer systems for businesses, says companies need to make sure they aren’t relying on the outdated system. Firms can be fined under the Data Protection Act if their security fails and customer data is exposed.

To help concerned businesses, Centerprise has launched a microsite with useful information about the change at www.centerprise.co.uk/xpeos

Darren Smith, Government and Corporate Sales Manager at Centerprise, said: “Businesses have a responsibility to make sure their data is secure and if they are still running XP then they are at risk of leaving themselves vulnerable to viruses, hackers and system problems. Later versions of Windows have much better security features and will be regularly updated to keep them secure.

“We think it’s very likely that XP systems will be targeted once official support ends. The only way businesses can protect themselves is by moving to a properly-supported operated system. If you hold any kind of data for customers, it’s not something you can afford to ignore.

“Failing to update to a newer operating system may see companies fined because those that hold customer data are required to take measures to protect themselves from hackers.”

Windows XP was released in 2001 and by 2006, more than 400million copies were in use worldwide. Microsoft stopped selling it in 2008, a year after its successor, Windows Vista, was released.

Centerprise International is one of the largest and most respected IT providers in the UK and delivers large-scale IT projects in the corporate, education and government sectors.

For more information about Centerprise International, see www.centerprise.co.uk

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Free seminar to give business leaders advice on data backup

Business leaders are invited to a free lunch and seminar where they can learn more about making sure their data is secure in the event of a disaster.

Award-winning data backup experts ADAM Continuity are to hold a briefing on trends surrounding data growth where free advice will be given on how organisations can make sure their data can be restored if the worst happens.

Many businesses are at risk of losing vital information forever if their technology fails because they do not have protection in place.

The event, to be held at Watford FC’s Vicarage Road Conference and Events Centre on Thursday, March 27, includes a Q&A session on data backup and recovery and is also a valuable networking opportunity for companies in the region.

Speakers include Niall Mackey, general manager of leading cloud security  Topsec Technology, Ian Burleton, head of solutions at ADAM Continuity, and Ronan McCurtin, Managing Director at ADAM.

Ronan said: “With the amount of data used by companies expected to grow by 800 per cent over the next five years, businesses are under great pressure to ensure they have sufficient capacity and the capability to restore their data in the event of a disaster.

“This, combined with the need to have systems operational round the clock and the focus on reducing budgets, means business owners and IT managers need to come up with more efficient strategies.

“A large percentage of businesses do not have their data backed up and of those that do, most have either failed to test their disaster recovery procedures or store their backed-up data on site.

“This is a worrying trend as research shows that half of all businesses which suffer a disaster or data loss with no effective plans for recovery will fail within the first 12 months.”

Doors for the seminar open at 9.30am for a 10am start, and the session concludes with lunch at 1.15pm.

Guests are asked to register to secure a place. To book, call Wendy Mills at ADAM Continuity on 01256 378134 or email wmills@adam.co.uk

Further details of the event are available at http://www.adam.co.uk/news/company-news/watford-forum.html

For more information about ADAM Continuity, visit www.adam.co.uk

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Hounds for Heroes drop in to say thanks for £6,000 donation

Centerprise International staff have raised thousands of pounds to support a charity that provides trained dogs to injured servicemen and women.

Gulf war veteran Allen Parton paid a visit to Centerprise’s Basingstoke headquarters to personally thank employees who raised £5,000 for his charity, Hounds for Heroes.

The money was raised with a series of activities throughout the year. A race night at Basingstoke Rugby Club was the biggest earner, bringing in £3,500, while Centerprise staff raised £1,000 by taking part in the Reading Half Marathon.

Allen Parton with Centerprise staff

Activities ranging from Halloween pumpkin carving to sweepstakes and raffles helped the fund reach the £5,000 milestone, and Centerprise’s chairman Rafi Razzak boosted the total by writing a cheque of his own for an additional £1,000.

Hounds for Heroes, based in Clanfield, Hampshire, was founded by Mr Parton, who suffered a serious head injury in the aftermath of Operation Desert Storm.

It provides specially-trained assistance dogs to injured and disabled men and women of both the UK Armed Forces and the civilian emergency services. They can help disabled veterans with everyday tasks such as emptying the washing machine and doing the shopping.

The charity now has 22 dogs – which it calls “cadets” – at various stages of the training process.

The money raised by Centerprise will fund the purchase price of a dog and its training for at least two years.

Mr Parton said: “I’m very grateful to Centerprise for its support. Just knowing that people care makes all the difference.

“It’s great to be able to go along and meet the people who give Hounds for Heroes their support – it means everything to us.”

Rafi Razzak added: “Allen’s story is very moving and I was pleased to be able to help this worthwhile charity. I’m very proud that so many employees have supported Hounds for Heroes.”

Allen Parton with Centerprise staff

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ADAM announces cloud services partnership with Capital Continuity

Business continuity specialist ADAM Continuity has entered into a partnership with Capital Continuity (CCL) to strengthen the cloud-based services it offers clients.

ADAM now offer a Replication For Recovery service based on the multi-platform Business Interruption Protection Services (BIPs) provided by CCL to help protect its customers from server failure.

CCL’s BIPs technology replicates customers’ servers in real-time to Adam’s cloud infrastructure to ensure that critical IT systems are protected from interruption, failure or disaster.

Replication For Recovery works regardless of the hardware or applications a business uses, and for any amount of data storage.

Should a customer’s servers fail for any reason, the partnership means that Adam Continuity will be able to get systems up and running again in a matter of minutes thanks to CCL’s BIPs technology.

The partnership underpins ADAM’s increasing focus on cloud services and its move away from the traditional “ship to site” model to faster and more cost-effective server replication services.

ADAM Continuity, based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, will continue to offer a wide range of round-the-clock business continuity services for customers, allowing them to recover critical systems within minutes if necessary.

Ronan McCurtin, recently-appointed Managing Director of ADAM Continuity, said: “ADAM is dedicated to providing fast, effective recovery services for customers whose critical systems fail or are interrupted for any reason.

“This partnership with CCL enables us to strengthen our cloud offering and in most cases we will be able to bring systems back online within a matter of minutes – whatever kind of hardware they are using.

“CCL share our vision of virtually seamless, reliable business protection services and we are delighted to partner with them.”

Nigel Hoggart of Watford-based CCL said: “CCL are proud to partner with ADAM Continuity and we are very much looking forward to working with ADAM to help protect its customers’ critical systems.”

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YoYoTech launches incredible value build-your-own PC “starter kits”

Leading PC gaming expert YoYoTech has launched a range of incredible-value “PC starter kits” priced from just £152.99. 

The kits, available from www.yoyotech.co.uk, contain everything needed to build a desktop gaming PC and offer great performance at an unbeatable price.

Each package comes as a build-it-yourself bundle that YoYoTech experts say should take the average beginner no more than two or three hours to put together.

The bundles are an ideal way in for customers who are new to the world of build-your-own PCs - and components are easily upgradeable when users want to increase the specifications of their system.

The kits, which all include a case and power supply, are straightforward to assemble but if customers get stuck, YoYoTech experts are happy to talk them through the process by phone.

The £152.99 Starter Kit i3 offers an Intel i3 4130 dual-core 3.5GHz processor, Asus H81M-Plus Motherboard and 4GB of memory.

At £286.99 the Starter Kit A10 includes an AMD A1-7850K Quad-Core 4.0GHz processor, an F2A88XM-DS2 Motherboard and 8GB of memory.

The Starter Kit i5 at £359.99 is the perfect gaming set-up and includes an Intel i5 4670K Quad-core 3.4GHz processor, 8GB of memory and an Asus Z87-K motherboard.

YoYoTech business development manager Ryan Pearton said: “At YoYoTech we’re well-known and respected in the gaming world for our wide range of PCs, from budget systems offering incredible power at a low price to our blisteringly-fast high-end systems.

“Building and upgrading PCs is a fascinating process and we’ve designed these starter kits to offer maximum bang for your buck. The kits have everything you need to get going, whether that’s as a low-cost way of starting out in the world of PC gaming or as a project a parent can do with their child.

“All the kits have good specifications and of course you can upgrade parts as you go on. And if customers get stuck they can just give us a call and we’ll tell them whatever they need to know.”

Full specs and details of the starter kits are online at www.yoyotech.co.uk

YoYoTech is renowned in the world of gaming PCs and has built up an unrivalled reputation among gamers thanks to its expert knowledge and range of products.

YoYoTech is now part of the Centerprise International group. Based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, Centerprise is a major reseller and provider of bespoke IT systems and services.

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YoYoTech launches incredible value build-your-own PC “starter kits”

Leading PC gaming expert YoYoTech has launched a range of incredible-value “PC starter kits” priced from just £152.99.

The kits, available from www.yoyotech.co.uk, contain everything needed to build a desktop gaming PC and offer great performance at an unbeatable price.

Each package comes as a build-it-yourself bundle that YoYoTech experts say should take the average beginner no more than two or three hours to put together.

The bundles are an ideal way in for customers who are new to the world of build-your-own PCs - and components are easily upgradeable when users want to increase the specifications of their system.

The kits, which all include a case and power supply, are straightforward to assemble but if customers get stuck, YoYoTech experts are happy to talk them through the process by phone.

The £152.99 Starter Kit i3 offers an Intel i3 4130 dual-core 3.5GHz processor, Asus H81M-Plus Motherboard and 4GB of memory.

At £286.99 the Starter Kit A10 includes an AMD A1-7850K Quad-Core 4.0GHz processor, an F2A88XM-DS2 Motherboard and 8GB of memory.

The Starter Kit i5 at £359.99 is the perfect gaming set-up and includes an Intel i5 4670K Quad-core 3.4GHz processor, 8GB of memory and an Asus Z87-K motherboard.

 

YoYoTech business development manager Ryan Pearton said: “At YoYoTech we’re well-known and respected in the gaming world for our wide range of PCs, from budget systems offering incredible power at a low price to our blisteringly-fast high-end systems.

“Building and upgrading PCs is a fascinating process and we’ve designed these starter kits to offer maximum bang for your buck. The kits have everything you need to get going, whether that’s as a low-cost way of starting out in the world of PC gaming or as a project a parent can do with their child.

“All the kits have good specifications and of course you can upgrade parts as you go on. And if customers get stuck they can just give us a call and we’ll tell them whatever they need to know.”

Full specs and details of the starter kits are online at www.yoyotech.co.uk

YoYoTech is renowned in the world of gaming PCs and has built up an unrivalled reputation among gamers thanks to its expert knowledge and range of products.

YOYOTech is now part of the Centerprise International group. Based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, Centerprise is a major reseller and provider of bespoke IT systems and services.

Pictures: The YoYoTech Starter Kit i3, priced at £152.99. More high-res images are available. 

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