A Few Things You should Know about Managed IT Services

Managed IT services involves outsourcing IT related issues to a specialized service provider with the aim of increasing efficiency within an organization, business or whatever else. Having your IT needs handled by an external entity (partially or fully) can be beneficial in a number of ways; anyway here are a few things that you should know about the whole concept.




You Actually Get More Control


Having IT experts within the company might seem like a great way of retaining complete control of your systems but the reality is that in most cases these experts are not the best option. When you employ IT people in your company there is always the risk of not getting the set of skills and expertise that the business might have been looking for. As a result, goals are not met, clients are not satisfied and eventually operations slow down.

External IT service providers on the other hand run their businesses on the basis of building lasting relationships with numerous clients and the only way they can do this is by providing top notch services; great IT solutions equals streamlined operations. With this being the case more energy can be directed towards growing the business as opposed to trying to solve problems all the time.

It Can Prove Cheaper


There are certain IT services that a business might require; however, bringing in the required specialists to provide the needed services solely for that one company may prove very costly and business insensible. However, this particular cost can be shared and consequently brought down if the service is provided to multiple clients as is the case with managed IT providers.

Safety


Without a doubt, no business will be too comfortable with the idea of an external entity calling all the shots in regard to any aspect of the business. The idea behind managed IT services is different from complete outsourcing of IT services; this is because the client retains control and determines how the company's IT framework is managed. You do not have to worry about having all your company data in a foreign country where you are not too sure about the various regulations on the issue of security; you will have a say on how everything is handled.

You Have Options


You do not have to leave all your company IT needs to service providers, you have options. You can choose the functions that you want the provider to handle and those that your IT staff can deal with. A great idea is to have them come over after working hours as opposed to paying your employees extra for working overtime which will in most cases cost more. So, to say the least, there are many arrangements that you can make with your provider; you do not have to feel confined to one option.

Managed IT services present a great alternative to off-shore outsourcing which has its fair share of risks. The fact that it is possible to make a choice of whether to let a service provider take full control of IT systems or just part of it will sit well with most companies.

Brennan IT - Melbourne IT Services

Making Full Use of Your Smart TV

Are you happy with your Smart TV?
The Smart TV is the latest edition in a generation of hybrid TVs that we have today. Gone are the days where our television set would only allow us to watch shows from TV stations. Today, the TV has become a device that has incorporated every other device in the market.

Though the Smart TV has applications that allows you to play games, it can still be connected to gaming consoles for hardcor gamers who want to play games that can only be found on consoles. Smart TVs can also be connected to other devices for sharing. It has built in wireless features like Bluetooth and WiFi for easier wireless connectivity.

The term Smart TV was coined after the smart phone which is a term that is used for mobile phones today that can do more than just text and call. Just like smart phones, a Smart TV has its own operating system where it has applications that can be used with the help of the internet. One of the best Smart TV application today is its feature where it allows you to watch any movie you want at any time that you please. Even if the movie has just been released a few months back or if it is as old as your favorite classic watch from your dad, you can watch the movie that you want with the help of Netflix. Getting the movies at Netflix though comes with a fee. Netflix offers different types of deals depending on how often you get movies from them so that you can get a deal that you like. All you need is an account and you can pay online. This will give you complete access to the Netflix app on your TV. With a Smart TV, you can throw away your collection of DVDs and the DVD player itself.

If you love watching TV shows over movies, the Hulu Plus application will be best for you. Hulu Plus can give you full access to the site's collection of TV shows from past to present at a monthly subscription fee. This will allow you to catch up on the shows that you have missed due to your busy schedule.
Social networking can also be done with Smart TVs. It has apps like Facebook and Twitter which are two of the top social networking sites today. You can easily check your Facebook account and watch your favorite shows simultaneously.

Skype can also be found in your Smart TV. Skype was known in the PC as an application which allowed people to connect to each other through video chat with the help of the internet. Now that it is found on the Smart TV, you can have a bigger and clearer video resolution which will make video chat more fun. You will need an external camera though for people to see you. These external cameras are easy to find.

A Smart TV also allows you to be updated with what is going on in the world. They have apps like BBC News, Associated Press and other apps that will give you the information that you want.

Intel NUC vs Raspberry Pi

Upstarts like Raspberry Pi and FXI have so far dominated the mini-computer industry, but a giant is also prepping up to join the party. The Next Unit of Computing, NUC, by Intel was first demoed at PAX East during April and details of the new unit are just hitting the internet. The NUC has HDMI, Thunderbolt and USB 3.o ports on its back and two SODIMM slots for memory on the motherboard. The motherboard also boasts 2 PCle headers (mini headers) on its surface and a CPU socket capable of taking most Core i3 and i5 processors that are mobile on its flipside. The flipside also hosts a heatsink as well as a fan assembly. Pretty neat huh? The NUC's dimensions are 10x10cm (4X4in). The NUC utilizes a Corei3/i5 Sand Bridge Chip.

Intel's NUC targets digital kiosks but most of us would probably agree that a nice home theater PC (HTPC) would be something that it could be used as. It could also make a nice system for children that could be introductory. One drawback when it comes to the NUC is its Sandy Bridge chip: it is last-gen tech that gives you Intel's HD 3000. It would be safe to presume that a version with HD 4000 GPU is coming out after this one.

Dimensions of 10x10cm make this unit one of the smallest there is out there, with its only competitor (x86 competitor) hailing from VIA, which has made units as small as 6X6cm, the Mobile-ITX is one good example of how small VIA can go. You may think that the small size of these motherboards is beneficial, but they only handle weak VIA CPUs that are very slow, so they are mainly targeted towards installations of low power. A Core i5 processor in a form factor like 10X10cm is impressive, making Intel's unit both small and powerful.

So what about the Raspberry Pi? Well, at 8.5x5.5cm, the Pi stands a bit smaller than the NUC. It's also probably thinner as well, as it is 2cm deep. The Raspberry Pi also has a larger number of outputs and inputs but Intel's NUC has mini PCle connectors that enable it to add most functionalities. Raspberry Pi's 700MHZ ARM SoC are completely obliterated by NUC's Core i3 and i5 processors when it comes to processing power. Another advantage of the NUC is the fact that its users will be able to use the large x86 software ecosystem (Windows) without any hiccups. The users will also find it easier to develop software, because making software for the NUC will be equivalent to making software for a standard. Raspberry Pi doesn't have these two very important perks.

Price-wise, the NUC won't be expensive; it probably won't be as cheap as the Pi (it goes for $25) but it will probably be within a reasonable price range, somewhere around $100. The NUC will possibly come with a pre-installed CPU and maybe even some RAM, judging from the heatsink's presence.

So there you have it, Intel NUC is sure to shake the mini-computer industry once it's released, watch out Raspberry Pi!