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Computanews 167 - February 2013

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:

Software Asset Management Explained

Ensuring that you have valid licenses for all the software on your PCs, servers and mobile devices can seem like a tedious task – and it’s often ignored. But, as Matt Fisher from License Dashboard explains that it’s a risk you don’t want to take.

Avoiding Issues When Dealing With ICT Support Companies

Your IT provider isn’t being as helpful as they used to - in some cases refusing to respond or resolve issues altogether - leaving you in a very difficult place. What can you do when things go wrong? How can you avoid it in the first place? This article looks at these issues from the perspective of an IT company, SpirIT UK, that has been involved in several rescue projects.

The potential benefits of 4G

There’s been a lot of media attention around EE being the first mobile network operator to launch a 4G mobile service in the UK. Jonathan Levy at Class Telecommunications looks at the potential benefits for third sector organisations.

So You Think You Want To 'Move To The Cloud'?

Cloud computing is becoming more commonplace as the range of services grows and organisations look to realise the benefits. But is it all it’s cracked up to be and is moving to the cloud for everyone? In this 2 part article, Morgan Killick at ESP Projects defines the technology, examines situations that the cloud works well for – and also what the marketing might not tell you.

What to prioritise if you’ve only got limited digital resources

Digital is a very broad area so it can feel overwhelming to get started if you or your organisation is relatively new to the topic. Laila Takeh lists the main ingredients to consider for a comprehensive digital presence.

Tablets: What's The Point?

Our love affair with tablet computers shows no sign of abating, with 100m reportedly sold in 2012. Who is buying and using all of these tablets? Morgan Killick looks beyond the hype at potential uses in not-for-profit organisations.

Paul Ticher's Data Protection Roundup: February 2013

This quarter’s update examines progress on updating European data protection, the cookie law, Google's cloud storage locations, penalties for misuse, a cautionary tale from Northern Ireland, a Principle 4 breach, email marketing complaints and a new webinar.

Storage Solutions for Organisations of All Sizes

As a small or medium sized organisation, it is important to think ahead about data storage solutions. Over time, as your organisation grows, so will your storage needs. Chad Calimpong looks at three possible options for storing your data safely and accessibly.

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Event reports

Digital Summit 2012

Lasa ran its Digital Summit 2012 at Mayer Brown in London on 12 November. This event brought together charity technologists and digital communicators to exchange ideas, network and listen and connect with leading experts in the sector.

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