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XMA are an HPE Platinum Partner in the UK.  In order to hold the HPE Platinum Partner accreditation, we must be able to demonstrate our commercial and technical ability to understand, design and implement the HPE Hybrid IT portfolio. XMA are an HPEFS Platinum Partner and the largest UK HPEFS partner for Asset Lifecycle Services / Circular Economy.

XMA have a clear strategic alignment and one with HPE, both at commercial and technical levels.

We are capable of delivering a full catalogue of professional and managed services, ranging from standard logistical services through to bespoke transformation projects that deliver our customers’ business outcomes. Over 650,000 orders were shipped last year, with over third being HPE into some large organisations.

Contact us today to find out more

There is no doubt about it, we all love saving money; especially in the current economic climate. Purchasing imitation cartridges for your printer can at first seem like the perfect idea to lower annual costs on your supplies, however there are some hidden risks in doing so…

What harm can be caused from buying cheap imitation toner?

The short answer is: a lot of harm. On the surface the idea of purchasing these products may seem like you’re saving time and money for your business but in reality it can impact your business in a variety of ways:

• Cost your business more money- 25% higher costs due to reprints, failures and services.¹
• Lower quality of print- 19% fewer usable print outs due to poor quality printing.²
• Reduces the indoor air quality in the office.³
• Can cause permanent damage to your printer.⁴
• Can result in 4 x more service calls.⁵

Unfortunately, it’s not just your business that can directly suffer from using these products, as they have also been found to have a negative impact on the environment ⁶.  Not only can they make you use more paper due to poor quality prints but will also use more energy and increase your fossil fuel consumption.

The vast majority of  these products will end up in landfill as the imitation toner producers don’t have organised recycling systems, which could result in them being found washed up on the shores. Not a lovely thought.

Are imitation cartridges worth the gamble?

When it comes to ordering replacement toner cartridges, you have many to choose from, but cheap imitations may not be the best option. And they certainly cannot compare to Original HP.

Imitation- A newly built cartridge with non-HP parts and toner. Ultimately, almost all imitation cartridges end up in a landfill.⁷

Remanufactured- A spent HP cartridge that is disassembled, some parts replaced, and refilled with toner. Nearly 94% of remanufactured toner cartridges end up in a landfill.⁷

Refilled- A spent HP cartridge that is refilled with toner through a hole made in the cartridge shell.

Counterfeit- Any non-HP cartridge that is intentionally labelled and packaged to deceive or mislead a customer into thinking that it’s an Original HP product.

HP Original toner- Features patent protected technology and is designed to work most effectively with your HP printer. Buyers choice for reliable print delivery and has passed numerous safety and environment standards.

So make sure you use Original toner for your HP printer. It can save you money, time and help protect the environment.

Purchase your certified products at XMA Store, a triple platinum re seller of HP print and supplies.

Sources:

¹ HP calculations based on results from a 2019 Spencer Lab Europe, Middle East and Africa Monochrome Reliability study comparing cartridges for the HP Pro M402 and Pro 521 printers, HP 26A and 55A cartridges

² 2019 SpencerLab Monochrome Reliability study, commissioned by HP, compared Original HP mono cartridges with five brands of new-build cartridges sold in Europe, Middle East, and Africa for the HP Pro 400 M402 and M521dn MFP printers, HP 26A and 55A cartridges

³ Dec 2017 WKI Blue Angel Indoor Air Quality compliance study commissioned by HP. The study tested 4 New Build Compatible toner cartridge brands sold as substitutes for HP LaserJet Pro MFP M425dn with cartridge 280A. The tests were carried out in compliance with Blue Angel labelling of office equipment in accordance with RAL-UZ-205P. For details, http://h20195.www2.hp.com/v2/GetDocument.aspx?docname=4AA7-1981ENW

⁴ A 2018 Market Strategies International study commissioned by HP. Results based on 223 surveys from HP ServiceOne Partners who have at least 6 months of experience servicing HP monochrome and/or Color LaserJet printers with HP Original cartridges and non-HP toner cartridges installed in the past 12 months. Study was conducted in 27 countries: UK, IE, FR, DE, IT, , AT, BE, PT, ES, NL, SE, RU, UA, PL, HU, CZ, HR, RO, ZA, SA, AE, EG, MA, QA, and TR.  For details, see www.marketstrategies.com/hp/EMEA-Technician2018.pdf

⁵ A 2018 Market Strategies International study commissioned by HP. Results based on 223 surveys from HP ServiceOne Partners who have at least 6 months of experience servicing HP monochrome and/or Colour LaserJet printers with HP Original cartridges and non-HP toner cartridges installed in the past 12 months

⁶ 2019 EMEA Four Elements Consulting LCA study, commissioned by HP, compared Original HP 55A and 26A monochrome toner cartridges with a sample of imitation alternatives across eight environmental impact categories. See http://www.hp.com/go/EMEA-LJLCA-NBC-2019. The LCA leverages a 2019 SpencerLab study, commissioned by HP, comparing Original HP LaserJet toner cartridges with two brands of imitation toner cartridges sold in EMEA. See www.spencerlab.com/reports/HPReliability-EMEA-NBC2019.pdf

⁷ InfoTrends, 2018 Western Europe Supplies Recycling study, commissioned by HP. Findings are based on average results of interviews with 7 remanufacturers and 6 brokers. See hp.com/go/EMEA-2018InfoTrends.

In 2020 BT have announced they will stop taking new ISDN orders and will complete switching off the ISDN network in 2025. This article will enable you to understand what the impact of this is upon your business and what options are available to you to ensure your business is well prepared.

What is ISDN?

‘Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) is a set of communication standards for simultaneous digital transmission of voice, video, data and other network services over the traditional circuits of the public switched telephone network’.

Why are ISDN services being terminated?

ISDN was introduced in the 1980’s allowing both voice and data services to be delivered simultaneously. For the technology and services at the time, it served its purpose very well and continued to do so for many years. Now we’re well into the 21st century, technology has moved on and old telephone solutions are lagging behind the alternatives in an increasingly fast paced digital world.

What does this mean for businesses who currently use ISDN?

Quite simply it means that now is the time to review your organisations approach to data services provision in order to avoid the negative consequences in lost revenue that will be experienced if you do not have an alternative network service in place come 2025.

It can take time to review your strategy and understand what the right option is for your business going forwards therefore it is never too early to start planning. Read on to learn all you need to know to ensure you do not end up scrambling to get a solution in place at the last minute, a solution that ultimately might not be right for your business.

So, what options do you have?

If you are currently on an ISDN phone contract now is the right time to start exploring the option of switching to VoIP and SIP technologies.

What is VoIP?

Voice over Internet Protocol, also called IP telephony, is a method and group of technologies for the delivery of voice communications and multimedia sessions over Internet Protocol networks such as the Internet.

What are SIP technologies?

The Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) is a signalling protocol that is used by technology products for creating session-oriented connections between two or more endpoints in an IP network. These endpoints could be IP telephones, instant messaging clients or a collaborative multimedia conference application.

Whilst the transition may seem complicated and a big disruption to your business, it doesn’t need to be. With upfront planning and budget allocation we can help make the transition as smooth as possible. As always, it’s important to take into consideration some of the below points:

Can your phone system support VoIP?

The latest desk phones already support this technology, however, if yours doesn’t now is the time to upgrade.  Luckily a lot of telephony and IT solution providers offer options to roll handsets into a new contract. You can also look to trade in old hardware for new handsets in order to recoup residual value.

With the switch to cloud becoming ever more popular and feature rich it might be the time to ditch physical handsets for soft phones, replace on premise exchanges with cloud hosted systems or embrace collaboration applications which allow telecommunication integration. There are many options and we can help you identify which is best for your business.

Is my network strong enough to meet the demands of a VoIP phone system?

Having a strong and reliable bandwidth connection is important when switching to voice rather than the traditional circuit-switched telephone system. You don’t want to invest the time and money into switching to a new solution but being let down by poor audio quality due to a poor connection.

We can help you determine how much we predict you will need and work with you to achieve the high Quality of Service your business needs.

So, what’s next?

Now you better understand the impact the ISDN switch off can have on your business and what options are available to you, the next step is to review how your business consumes voice, video and data services now versus what how you anticipate that changing in the future.

At XMA, we are specialists in this field and guide organisations of all sizes and in all sectors to make the right choices. Our wealth of knowledge and team of technical experts can guide you through your decision-making journey, from designing and implementing your solution all the way through to helping you to manage your new network.

Contact us today to begin your journey and to ensure your business isn’t cut off when ISDN services are switched off.

Brexit Committee News Update – September Update

It would be easy to spend time speculating on what might happen as a result of the recent tumultuous events in Parliament – but XMA intend to focus on the practical measures the business is taking for our customers and suppliers. Most relevantly, the business is still preparing for a ‘no-deal’ Brexit on 31 October 2019 and ensuring we are as prepared as we can be for this date – whether or not there is an extension.

Imports

Most XMA suppliers are still in charge of their own delivery to XMA warehouses or to end-users directly. Many are finding new shipping/delivery routes into the UK ensuring that they might navigate delays at port of entry as best they can. The government have increasingly insisted that they are ready and will not create delays by stopping goods for customs checks on the border in the UK. XMA are working with all our major suppliers to smooth such entry procedures and understand their methods of shipping, including collecting goods from port on their behalf.

However, a number of vendors have changed their terms from DDP (Delivery Duty Paid) where the vendor (seller) is responsible for import duties/taxes and customs clearance to DAP (Delivered At Place) where XMA, the buyer, will be responsible for payment of duty and clearance. This may add cost to the product and customers should be aware that such terms have changed if they are buying directly from vendors. XMA are well prepared for this extra administration and will advise customers accordingly at the time of order. However, a key element of this extra cost will depend on tariff rates (see below).

Exports

Through our parent company Westcoast , XMA has access to an outstanding International Shipping team able to assist customers with all their shipping requirements outside the UK. The CBI are convinced that European markets are not ready for Brexit and will penalise/fine British exporters that do not submit the correct paperwork. Hence XMA’s main work has been centered around producing a commercial invoice on shipments acceptable to European customs detailing the appropriate commodity codes and country of origin where required. XMA terms will also be DAP and our goal is to take responsibility for your shipments up to Proof of Delivery stage ensuring the process is as streamlined as possible providing our usual excellent service.

Tariffs

In all, whilst XMA and Westcoast stock over 100,000 different skus, there are 570 different 10digit commodity codes – the majority of which currently do NOT attract any tariff to EU countries or most other export markets. This can change at any time and recent conversations between the USA and China show that the US are due to impose tariffs on technology products manufactured in China on 19 December 2019. (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-49644325). This is not the case in the UK but demonstrates that our industry cannot be complacent and assume that exports will never attract a tariff. These tariffs will be our customers’ responsibility to account for but we will able to advise customers on such tariff rates.

• Provide an accurate quote
• Advice of any country rules
• Advice of any vendor rules
• Gaining an understanding and confirmation in writing of use of goods
• Provide all documentation specific to the country/product
• Manage the process from quote stage to delivery
• Set expectation on occasions end-user may see XMA’s pricing
• Details of dangerous/dual use goods
• Certificates of conformity if needed
• C88/SAD Form normally completed by our courier
• Any license requirements achieved through SPIRE (government’s export licensing system – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spire-online-export-licensing-guidance/using-spire-to-get-an-export-licence)

Customer Responsibilities

• Ensure their end user is able to import into country of destination
• Ensure their end users are aware that THEY must cover customs duties
• Provide correct end user details – full address and contact information
• To advise what the end use of the goods will be
• Import declarations

The important point is that XMA will help all customers with their international shipping requirements so please do not hesitate to speak to your account manager who will engage our shipping team.

Ireland

There have been some positive developments in shipping to Ireland since our last Brexit news. Every single shipment will attract an admin fee of €25 making single parcel deliveries uneconomic. As a result, XMA will be working with our logistics provider to ship all goods overnight from the UK on a single manifest and redistribute them from a bonded warehouse in the Irish Republic. This may add some cost and time to Irish deliveries but these will not be prohibitive.

Inventory

Our parent company Westcoast will once again be taking in approximately one month’s extra inventory for certain vendors during October hoping that this will sufficient to alleviate any short term issues arising. Clearly this is not a long term fix but Westcoast’s new 340k sqft warehouse in Andover – which should complete its fit out in October – demonstrates our commitment to hold more stock where required either pre-sale or post-sale. Our offer will include outsourced logistics and configuration facilities.

HPI’s Disclaimer for Commodity Codes

Please see what HP’s disclaimer for commodity code accuracy is. Expect all vendors and suppliers to adopt a similar disclaimer.

HP Inc. provides this data for informational purposes only. Classifications are subject to change and HP Inc. does not represent, warrant, or guarantee that the information is complete, accurate, or up-to-date. The information provided is not intended to constitute legal advice or to be used as a substitute for specific legal advice. Under the US Export Regulations, the US Government assigns your organization or client, as exporter/importer of record, the responsibility for determining the correct classification of any item at the time of export/import. In some cases there are restrictions that apply to exports based on the product, the end-user, the end-use, or the country of destination, and an export license or other authorization may be required prior to shipment. The Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security provides a web site and can assist you with determining the need for a license or with information regarding where to obtain help prior to exportation. The URL is: http://www.bis.doc.gov.

Conclusion

Whilst it may be easy to worry about what might happen, particularly in light of the recent publication of Operation Yellowhammer papers, XMA are focused on helping all our customers and suppliers through the changes ahead. Our couriers have employed more staff and implemented systems and XMA have added layers of expertise, warehouse space and code/tariff checks to manage through predicted eventualities. Keep Calm and Sell On!

FAQ’s

How do you identify/manage controlled/dual use products?
Before we ship anything, we assess who the end user is and what the end use of the goods will be. We already expect the end user in country to complete an end user undertaking.

How do you prevent shipments to denied parties?
Such risks are highlighted to us by our carriers. We will then contact relevant customers to obtain further details and plan a way forward if possible.

Can you help with Export Licence Applications?
If the end-use is for military purposes, for example, we have the capability to apply for a licence through the correct platform.

Record keeping and audits?
We obtain the proof of export and POD for every shipment we do outside the UK. We conduct internal audits frequently and are audited externally.

For any questions or queries contact our XMA Brexit committee at approvals@xma.co.uk

Read previous Committee Update for August 2019

Nutanix and HPE announced a global agreement in April this year to produce Nutanix Hyper Converged Infrastructure (HCI) available on the HPE ProLiant Server platform known as Nutanix DX Appliances.

This offering will also be available on a consumption-based model utilising HPE GreenLakes Infrastructure as a service. This means more flexibility and cost savings using a pay per use model so you can start implementing this new technology today, without the worry of upfront costs and planned budgets.

Nutanix DX Appliances are now available and ready to ship and will be available as a consumption-based model using the HPE GreenLake solution from October 2019.

Nutanix are market leaders for Hyper-Converged Infrastructure (HCI) and have added HPE ProLiant Server as a hardware platform choice, with such strong reputations as market leaders in their own rights this joint partnership means Nutanix DX Appliance combines cutting edge technologies to bring this new product to the market.

XMA are a platinum HPE partner and a Nutanix Scaler partner meaning we have strong alliances with both vendors and have unrivalled in-house technical resource, to help plan and implement this new technology across your organisation.

What does it mean for your organisation?

More choice with Nutanix in terms of Hardware platforms from XMA; Nutanix, HPE, Lenovo or Dell as well as broad Hypervisor choice; Nutanix AHV, VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V. Nutanix Software on HPE Hardware, with world class support from both organisations.

Contact us today to find out more about this exciting new announcement

Brexit Committee News Update – August Update

Given that we have experienced a period of lull whilst the new government takes shape – the direction of travel now looks clearer – we are heading for a ‘No Deal’ Brexit at pace and hence all advice from government and business organisations is to prepare for a hard Brexit.
Seeing as XMA were making such preparations in March – management’s thinking is much the same and our Brexit committee met earlier to set out what we must do internally and to advise our customers on steps they can take to mitigate the effects on their business.

CBI & BCoC Advice

The CBI has produced a long document setting out the effects and the preparedness of the UK, the EU and the UK & EU together. A copy can be found here. In essence, it shows that the UK is better prepared than the EU but both are woefully under-prepared for 31st October. In addition, the fact that the new Brexit day comes at the height of the Black Friday and peak retail periods, poses more dangers for logistics businesses.

The British Chamber of Commerce has also set out a neat Risk Register as an update to their Business Brexit checklist.

This simple checklist will act as a good guide to ensure that XMA and our customers are considering the right areas to prepare for the difficult time ahead. Most areas are rated red.

People

Leadership is important here and XMA are ensuring that all EU nationals and their families employed by XMA are assisted in complying with the EU settled status scheme. We urge our customers and vendors to do the same. Perhaps the one area that the new government has softened is immigration, with no talk of reducing immigration but merely being able to control it.

Funding

XMA do not receive EU funds but this appears more positive for those that do.

Tax

It appears that the UK government will introduce a relaxed approach to VAT deferment on imports and exports for a period not less than 1 year. This will reduce any cash flow burden on XMA and hence our customers.

Regulation

Given that XMA and our parent company (Westcoast’s) goods are also sold in Europe, we do not anticipate any disruption to supply as a result of either UK or EU regulatory divergence post Brexit. Clearly this could change in the future but should not affect trade in the short term.

Data

The UK government will impose a limit on mobile roaming charges incurred in EU countries. This is not the case for EU tariffs in the UK. Data governance under GDPR has been adopted by UK law and is currently EU compliant. A ‘No Deal’ scenario is unlikely to alter EU data compliance although businesses should be alert for divergence.

Trade

There are still no tariffs anticipated on almost all goods and services sold by XMA under WTO rates at present. Clearly XMA will keep this under review in light of US/China tensions. However, neither the UK government nor the EU are likely to impose import tariffs on IT products.

Borders

This is where a ‘No Deal’ situation will have the biggest impact on trade. Whilst the British government are increasing spending on ports and customs officials as well as promising speedy entrance of goods from the EU, imports will still be dependent upon accurate paperwork. The Westcoast Group are spending time ensuring that appropriate information including commodity codes are available on shipping documentation. At present over 90% of codes have been collected and systems are being updated to ensure they are available when required. The EU have made no such arrangements and hence may well levy fines for inaccurate paperwork as they do for imports from outside the EU today.

Despite all the plans, delays at port are still anticipated by every logistics company that XMA have spoken to. XMA and Westcoast’s management are working with vendors to increase stock holding over the difficult peak period to avoid short term shortages. In addition, our new warehouse in Andover will more than double capacity and allow for increased stock holding. However, we urge customers to take the following steps:
i) Engage with XMA account managers to predict large roll-out orders in November/December to give earliest visibility to ensure goods are available in the UK.
ii) Switch selling from Configure-To-Order (CTO) stock built in vendor factories to channel inventory as soon as possible
iii) Where this is not possible, ensure lead times are managed with end-users to factor in delays at port

Ireland

Assuming that the UK exits the EU without a deal, the Irish market will be affected significantly given the border complexities. Westcoast’s warehouse in Tallaght is only sufficient for roll-out management and Westcoast do not anticipate making this into a fully managed warehouse at present – i.e. most goods will still be shipped from the UK and will be subject to border delays. Irish customers should engage with their XMA account managers to ensure stock held in Tallaght is forecast and distribution can be managed effectively.

FAQ’s

EORI – Westcoast do have a UK EORI number which will be sufficient for all declarations
AEO – Westcoast have not applied for this status as management consider this will not be effective in speeding up customs procedures
TSP – Westcoast have now received this accreditation from HMRC
Warranty – No vendor has as yet amended their warranty terms so we can anticipate that warranty procedures will be the same as currently available post-Brexit
VAT – Exports on goods shipped from the UK will not bear VAT from the UK as currently
Tariffs – Where they exist will be applied on the full price of the goods (i.e. before discounts)

For any questions or queries contact our XMA Brexit committee at approvals@xma.co.uk

Read previous Committee Update for March 2019

Achieve the flexibility of the public cloud on-premises under your control with consumption-based and flexible IT solutions from HPE GreenLake pay-per-use model.

HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity offers a consumption-based model on-premises, giving you greater flexibility, scalability, and control. Design your own infrastructure solutions, selecting from a broad range of HPE and partner technologies, as well as optional services that can span your infrastructure to your apps and workloads.

World-class expertise from HPE Pointnext

Every HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity solution comes with enterprise-grade support from HPE Pointnext and active capacity management to ensure that your solution grows with the business needs.

4 benefits of using consumption based IT

Outcome-based IT consumption delivers a range of benefits that you can’t get from solutions solely built from scratch or bought from the public cloud. Delivering the best of both worlds, HPE GreenLake enables:

• On-premises for better control over compliance, performance, and security
• Simplified IT that’s operated for you to free up resources and add business value
• Faster time to value with solutions that are ready quickly and evolve ahead of your needs
• Better economics with a flexible, pay-per-use model that offers simplicity and financial clarity

HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity with HPE Nimble Storage

• All-flash storage and predictive analytics with 99.9999% guaranteed up time
• Active capacity management and pay-per-use consumption from HPE GreenLake Flex Capacity meaning simple, secure, storage solution that grows with your business needs.

Read more about how HPE GreenLake can benefit your IT Infrastructure using IaaS

Read more

Click below to view the full Infographic 

With almost 100% shift to digital across the healthcare industry, having a strong, secure and reliable network has never been more important.  Staff are using a multitude of devices to connect to the same network, along with patients and BioMedical devices.  Aruba offers solutions to solve these challenges and add benefits such as indoor navigation for the patients to enhance digital services whilst visiting a patient or as a patient themselves.

Total economic impact of IoT in healthcare in 2025 is $170B-$1.6T, making it one of the top three vertical for IoT solutions¹

How Aruba enables a digital workforce within the Healthcare Industry

A Secure, Strong and Reliable network throughout your Healthcare Institution Seamless Connectivity: indoors and outdoors utilising technologies such as satellite clinics to support numerous devices per user wherever you are.  With HPE Smart Rate multi-gig Ethernet you can enable high speed connectivity over Cat6 cabling. Future proof support for emerging IoT devices and standards.   Making sure equipment is connected, secure and reliable at any time. Point of care decision support.  Allowing clinicians to use their mobile devices to make critical decisions.  Aruba Ao8 features of reliability in a 24/7 environment – using Aruba technologies such as LiveUpgrade, Hitless Failover, ClientMatch and AppRF.   Creating an unrivalled user experience for patients and guests with location-based services Patient facing applications which allow indoor mapping, location specific content, proximity-based notifications, user opt – in location sharing (great for visiting family) using Aruba Beacons and Meridian.  Making it easier to make your way around the hospital and find a specific bed. Secured, easy to use Guest Access Portals with ClearPass meaning security even when on a guest wifi network.   Adding an extra layer of security and peace of mind for expensive and critical equipment Location of expensive assets through Meridian Asset Tracking.  IT Managers can keep on top and track their most critical and important equipment at all times.   Visibility and Control for IT Management Giving clear visibility to the IT managers to control and maintain the hospital’s infrastructure using 20/20 Visibility with Aruba AirWave.  Adding the extra layer of support with technologies such as Client-to-network E2E visibility, RF Visualization, Historical reporting, Automated Configuration Management, In-Line monitoring: Radius, DHCP, DNS critical services, role and device – based network access control. All these technologies complimenting each other to give the ultimate experience to the IT manager and securing a strong and stable environment through the hospital network.

Learn more about ‘A hospital’s health starts with its network infrastructure’

Read more

¹McKinsey Global Institute, Unlocking The Potential Of The Internet of Things, June 2015

A Modern Workplace; this is now an employee’s expectation and a big necessity.
Today’s workforce have an expectation to be able to work anywhere at any time, and it’s more important than ever that organisation’s embrace and empower mobile working. Implementing a modern workplace is essential if your business wants to:

• Attract and retain talent: 82% say that workplace technology has an influence when deciding whether or not to take a new job¹
• Embrace new workstyles: 50% of the workforce will be mobile by 2020. It’s imperative that your employees are not restricted on mobile working²
• Inspire innovation: 72% of workers believe their future success depends on their ability to be creative³

We understand the challenges businesses now face when embracing the modern workplace.

For example, cyber-attacks are increasingly becoming more sophisticated… customer expectations outpace internal adaptations… and attracting the best talent in the market means becoming a digitally enabled leader in a saturated environment.

And with a minefield of technology available to businesses, how does an organisation select the best device that suits their needs and budget?
Microsoft devices offer a number of benefits that are suited for every organisation, no matter what industry you might operate in.

Here is a list of Microsoft features that we at XMA have implemented ourselves, and feel are a great platform for collaboration, reporting, and relationship building:

Hardware and software working in unity, just the way they were intended

XMA have started rolling out Microsoft Surface devices across our own business; the hardware and software are built in unity, making them easy to deploy and simpler to manage.

Our employees have agreed that their Surface device has allowed them to ‘increase productivity even on the most common tasks’… ‘more flexible working which has allowed us to embrace an “always online” approach’… and last but not least, they are proud to be seen with it! This has increased employee satisfaction and encouraged them to “use it all the time” because of the great device and M365 experience.

We’re all working as a Team

XMA have recently embraced Microsoft Teams as our primary platform of communication. This is where we communicate from one department to another, can create specific channels to engage with select individuals, share files and relevant information which can be collaboratively edited within Teams, and instant message individuals both inside and outside of the organisation.

Microsoft Teams perfectly integrates with an O365 environment and can be used as the central area for all communications across a business.
It doesn’t just end there – Teams can be used for sales teams to engage with customers. Files can be instantly shared and edited, there is a ‘chat’ feature to encourage seamless conversations between employee and customer, and the Teams groups are by invite only, so you can invite in the people you want, and keep out those who you don’t!

We make the most of Microsoft 365

Our Surface devices allow us to work with the essential foundation and familiarity of Windows 10, the protection of Microsoft Enterprise Mobility + Security, and the Office 365 productivity apps which we all rely on every day. For example, OneDrive; with OneDrive syncing across devices, files are stored in the cloud. If someone accidentally leaves their beloved Surface device at home, they can now pick up any device, securely log in, and instantly pick up where they left off.

There’s a Surface device suitable for every department

Directors: Providing leadership across an organisation, no matter how big or small, comes with a number of challenges; overseeing the health of the business and wellbeing of customers… providing guidance and support across multi-functional teams… task and responsibility randomization… and being a positive reflection of the organisation’s brand.

The best device? A Surface Book 2 for Business. Directors can oversee the business by approving documents and providing feedback through Office collaboration features, perform complex analysis with confidence, and represent the company through Surface’s premium hardware and elegant design. This high powered and all-day battery life device has a detachable keyboard, which allows the user to stay on top of work and industry news, even when limited on space.

Creative design department: A company designer have their own challenges they face each day. For example, communicating with their colleagues and customers on design work… engaging in meetings both on-site and remotely… create modern designs for both the business and its customers… and collaborating on promotional plans. The best device? The Surface Hub 2S together with pens can be used as a whiteboard to present new and exciting designs anywhere, with a remote stand and long battery life. It enables real-time document editing whilst working with a widely distributed team through the Teams application. The stunning wide screen shows each detail in crystal clarity and will never fail to impress in customer presentations.

Sources:
1 US Future-Ready Workforce Study, 2016
2 SectorWatch, MarketWatch, April 19, 2017
3 Steelcase, “The Future of Work is Creative, How Technology and Place Enhance Creative Behaviours”, 2017

Last year there were almost double the amount of cybersecurity incidents in companies compared to in 2017, with 159,000 data breaches driven by ransomware or new attack methods.
And the global cost of cybercrime is expected to exceed $2 trillion by 2019.

Gartner recommend organisations with a focus on security adopt Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) solutions to increase cyber-resilience with hardening, investigation, incident detection, and incident response.

However, in their 2018 “Endpoint Protection and Response” survey the SANS Institute highlight, that only 50 percent of organisations had next-gen antivirus, and 37 percent of these had not activated the advanced capabilities due to its complexities.

Organisations are finding it hard to strike the balance between deploying the best possible network protection without becoming overwhelmed by false alerts which need investigating or simply the complexity of administration.

Advanced cybersecurity systems produce massive amounts of data—much more than any number of people could sort through and analyse – in a relevant time frame.

This is why Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its subset Machine Learning (ML) are applied within EDR solutions, where the software learns to solve problems and think by itself in a way that’s similar to humans. These technologies are able to sift through the vast amount of network data turning it into security intelligence able to detect threat events, traditional antivirus products would miss.

By learning what normal network activity consists such as programs used, user activity and traffic patterns, deviations from these norms show a greater threat potential and can be highlighted and dealt with in a faster fashion.

However, it is here where the threat of alert fatigue can kick in with too many false alerts requiring investigation mean that only a small percentage can be adequately dealt with. Should the security solution require administrator intervention shutting the user or process out this can seriously impact operations.

The EDR solution must be advanced enough so the AI and ML technologies handle routine tasks and first level security analysis, leaving security analysts free to focus on more critical or complex threats.

While not a “philosophers stone” AI and ML are useful tools in your security arsenal to shift the approach from reactive defense to proactive real-time threat hunting and detection.

A new cybersecurity paradigm is born.

Panda Security realised back in 2010 that existing endpoint protection techniques were limited and started from the ground up building a new single platform which is today known as Panda Adaptive Defense 360 providing 100% process attestation, meaning no process is allowed to run until actively classified as good and Threat Hunting included as standard.

This approach was only made possible through the development of a cloud-based automated detection service to classify every new Portable Executable (PE) process and identify and block fileless malware and other threats which ‘live off the land’ utilising legitimate tools – such as RDP, powershell, macros etc – repurposed for their nefarious ends, moving laterally on the network stealing credentials, browsing history, and data.

This concept was further developed into Panda Security’s Threat Hunting and Investigation service, where fed by hypotheses from the experts at PandaLabs Security Operations Center, these technologies can gather and analyze data, trace threats, search for vulnerabilities, respond to breaches, and thus reduce the IT team’s workload. This way we can focus on the really dangerous attacks.

Panda Adaptive Defense 360, and its Advanced Reporting Tool, Data Control and Patch Management modules, help you to secure your network and comply with regulatory requirements such as GDPR.

For your free demonstration or trial of Panda Security solutions, contact your XMA Account Manager.