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Computanews 166 - November 2012

By Lasa Information Systems Team

The Computanews web magazine is published quarterly on the knowledgebase and is full of informative and entertaining technology articles, written in plain English and relevant to third sector organisations.

Topics include news of the latest technology developments, how-to articles in plain English, reports from organisations on how they got technology under control, analysis of technology strategy issues, software, book and film reviews and regular updates on green computing, open source software and data protection.

In this issue:

Case Study – Oakleaf Flies Into The Cloud

Chris Bryan, co-opted trustee at Oakleaf Enterprise Ltd. shares Oakleaf's experience of moving their information technology to the cloud.

Microsoft Licence Changes Could Mean (Much) Higher Prices for Third Sector Organisations

In the summer of 2012, Microsoft changed the eligibility criteria for their Education software open licensing which will negatively affect the discounted rates that some not-for-profits enjoyed. Morgan Killick at ESP Projects examines the impact that it will have.

Paul Ticher's Data Protection Roundup: November 2012

This quarter's update examines the issues surrounding the first fine for a charity from ICO for a breach of security and the guidance available from the Information Commissioner.

What Is Server Virtualization And Why Use It?

With technology budgets getting tighter, the advantages of running a number of operating systems and server functions virtually on one physical server instead of several can be compelling. Brian Jensen at Dell explains how virtualization can squeeze the maximum performance out of your hardware.

How Google Grants Can Help Your Charity

Google Grants was set up by a group of volunteers at Google to support selected charities by offering up to £26,000 of free ad spend on their Google Adwords platform. Although there is work to be done for it, given that it is free, Mike Grindy at Passion Digital explains why it's a productive way to spend one's time.

Keep It Clean - Maximising the Lifespan of Your Computer Equipment

Replacing computer equipment is often very expensive - it’s usually better to take care of what you have rather than replacing all the time. This article by David Malmgren at Dell provides tips and tricks on how you can maximise the lifespan of your computer equipment by both physical and virtual cleansing and judicious upgrading.

Windows 8: A View from the ESP Testers

Some computers began shipping with Windows 8 pre-installed from October 26 2012 – which will also be the day that Microsoft release their own Windows 8 tablet called ‘Surface’. Sheffield-based IT support company ESP Project’s technicians have been testing the new release; here's what they thought of it…

Know Your Community! – Selby Trust Sort Out Their Data

Sona Mahtani, CEO of the Selby Trust, a community resource for north London, shares their experience of implementing Salesforce CRM.

ITIL For The Third Sector

Submitting your technology development and operation to strict best practice guidelines may sound a little daunting to smaller third sector organisations. Lucy Hunt at Search Laboratory provides an overview of ITIL and explains why it is benficial for the sector.

ISO 27001 Explained

Whenever organisations talk about data security or compliance they usually refer to a standard that they want to reach. There are a number of standards bodies out there and one of the best known is ISO. Pal Sehmi at SpirIT UK gives an overview of the standards and how you can achieve ISO 27001.

Event reports

Lasa has been running a number of events recently, both physical and online. We've pulled together the presentations, audio casts and webinar recordings on the knowledgebase:

Unlocking The Potential Of Open Data 2012

Report from the Lasa Open Data Event on 17 September 2012.

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