How IT can be

1. Geoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff Courts
US President Obama recently
brought to the spotlight an issue
that has been at the heart of the
‘Open Internet’ since it’s
inception. Net Neutrality is the
principle “that Internet service
providers and governments
should treat all data on the
Internet equally, not
discriminating or charging
differentially by user, content,
site, platform, application, type of
attached equipment, or mode of
communication”. [Wikipedia]
Common CarrierCommon CarrierCommon CarrierCommon Carrier A long standing
principle in common law countries
is that of the common carrier,
where a person or company that
transports goods is prohibited
from discriminating or refusing
service based on the customer or
the nature of the goods. It’s
usually associated with utility
providers such as water or
electricity, as well as public
transport. Private carriers, such as
haulage firms, are private carriers,
and are allowed to differentiate.
Advocates of neutrality are
focused on designating ISPs as
common carriers, and by
implication designating the
Internet in the same category as
other utilities.
In his statement, Obama called the
internet “one of the most
significant democratizing
influences the world has ever
known”. By allowing ISPs to create
virtual fast lanes for certain types
of traffic or data, it would create
a two-tier internet.
Paying for a premium service, such
as Netflix, is not the issue, but
allowing ISPs to charge a premium
to stream certain types of data is.
Save TheSave TheSave TheSave The
InternetInternetInternetInternet is a
lobby group
that is
fighting
against the
corporations
trying to get
their way. They have received over
4 million signatures to a petition
to save net neutrality, and to
reclassify broadband providers as
common carriers.
User ChoiceUser ChoiceUser ChoiceUser Choice One of the key
concepts is that the user should be
able to choose what content they
want to view, not the ISPs, and
that by charging users premiums
to access certain content, or from
How IT Can Be
Net Neutrality | Equal Access For All
certain
devices, it
removes
essential
freedoms that
have been in
place since the
webs’
inception. One
mobile
provider in the
US actually
blocked access
to certain sites
like Facebook
and Twitter if
you were on a
lower price plan, charging users a
premium to access certain sites
and content.
A key point is that not only should
the data you access not be
discriminated against, but the
A Bitcoin Miner produced by
Butterfly Labs
The Internet and The Web
Geoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff Courts The terms are often used interchangeably, but they are actually two distinct things.
The InternetThe InternetThe InternetThe Internet is the physical infrastructure or cables, routers, servers, and other devices, all interconnected.
They use the common language of TCP/IP to transmit packets of data.
The WebThe WebThe WebThe Web is the system of hypertext linked documents that are
accessed via The Internet. Hypertext, usually written in HTML, is
what allows clicking on a word to take you to another document or
web page.
When we pay for a broadband service, we are actually paying to
access the internet i.e. get connected to the physical infrastructure.
A utility provider, like a water company, is really charging you for
the delivery of the water and use of its network of pipes, rather than
for the water itself.
Net Neutrality holds that all broadband providers should be classed in the same way as other utilities
providers. You can pay for a faster physical connection, perhaps a fibre line or 4G mobile, but the ISP is not
responsible for the content. The case argues, quite convincingly, that the ISP should not be the one to
choose what types of web content you are looking at, or choose what content you should be able to
access faster. Speed of access should be determined by the service type, not the data content.
device you choose to access it on
too. Smartphones are the primary
or only way many people, access
the internet, and they should not
be denied access to certain data
because of their method of
access.
If data is not treated equally, you risk a two-speed
internet, where those that can’t afford to pay get
slower speeds based on content (cagle.com)
January 2015Volume 3 Issue 1

2. Sarah RenchSarah RenchSarah RenchSarah Rench Since 2012, Barclays have
offered a service called Pingit which
allows users to make payments straight
from one mobile user to another. In April
2014, Paym, pronounced Pay ‘Em’,
launched its services to enable mobile
payments for other banking institutions.
Paym is run by the Payments Council, an
industry body that expects ‘one billion
such transactions to be made by 2018’.
The service will be available to customers
of Halifax, Bank of Scotland, Danske Bank,
Lloyds Bank, HSBC, Santander, TSB Bank
and Barclays (through Pingit).
How does thisHow does thisHow does thisHow does this
work? Can Iwork? Can Iwork? Can Iwork? Can I
use it?use it?use it?use it?
Well, you can
start by
downloading
your banks
existing
mobile
payments
application
(app).
Although
Barclays Pingit
allows you to register even if you are not
an existing customer.
Using Barclays Pingit as an example, it
works on mobile devices with Android 2.2
and above, IOS 4.2 and above, and
Blackberry OS 4.6 and above.
You can then register your mobile number
with your bank via the app. Once the
necessary security checks have been done
and approved, you are then able to send
and receive payments to anyone with a
UK current account linked to their mobile
phone number and track the payments
through the mobile application. You can
then call the recipient’s mobile number
via the Pingit app, key in an amount
between £1 and £300 and hit send. This
removes the need for account numbers
and sort codes and allows you to use the
phone numbers in your contact list or
manually entered to send money to your
desired recipient.
If you are a UK current account holder or
have a UK mobile number, then there are
no fees for this service and payments
happen almost instantly.pingit2
Do businesses accept Pingit or PaymDo businesses accept Pingit or PaymDo businesses accept Pingit or PaymDo businesses accept Pingit or Paym
transfers? What reference do they use?transfers? What reference do they use?transfers? What reference do they use?transfers? What reference do they use?
FC Exchange was one of the first foreign
currency exchange companies who
provided this service to their customers.
As Nick Fullerton, CEO at FC Exchange
comments, ‘We wanted to provide our
customers an easy, quick and secure way
to send funds to us.’ FC Exchange is one
of many businesses who can be sent
money via Pingit and can be seen listed
under the Barclays Business Directory as
‘FCEXCHANGE1’ removing the need to
enter bank details, which can sometimes
result in payment input errors and delays
in transfers.
Mike Walters, Head of UK Corporate
Payments at Barclays stated, “Mobile
commerce has grown more than 250%
over the last two years and it is
important that businesses provide
consumers with a convenient and easy
payment method through this channel.”
FC
Exchange is
an example
of one
business
that
recognises
the need to
fully mobile
optimise
their online
services to
ensure
customers
receive the
best
services both online and offline.
With apps like Pingit making paying
businesses and friends so easy, no one
can say they don’t have time to sit
down and make the payment, as after
the initial set up, it’s now fully mobile!
For more information on how to set up
Barclay’s Pingit or how to make great
savings on foreign currency transfers
using the latest online technology
contact FC Exchange.
Sarah Rench is the Online Manager at FC
Exchange, a foreign exchange and
international payment solution provider.
Will You Paym By Cash, Card or Pingit? 4G Fast Broadband Next Day
Jude BrownJude BrownJude BrownJude Brown So most of you should know what 3G is, and
probably use it day to day to surf the internet on your
mobiles, but not all would have used 4G day to day. 4G has
been discussed in previous newsletters by Ciaran and Geoff
(January ’14 & August ’14), and this time I am back on the 4G
subject with good news. From the start of this year, we will
be giving all clients the option to move on to 4G for
internet back up at a small cost but with many benefits
with the UK Broadband provider.
Why is a 4G back up important? First of all the 4G will act
as a secondary internet connection to your office. This
means if a problem occurred with your primary internet
connection, the UK Broadband router can be switched to
within seconds to provide full internet access. You can also
bring the router with you anywhere you want (within an
area serviced by 4G), so in case of an emergency you can
finish your work in a café or bar by plugging in the router
and still having the same good connection.
The UK broadband router gets delivered one working day
after the order is placed. Quick, efficient, and you will be
set up within minutes of receiving it.
The setup is simple. Plug the hub into a power socket, place
the box near a window to maximise the signal, and you are
good to go.
Unlimited data is another key benefit, as it actually means
unlimited data. There is no limit to the UK Broadband
internet use and you will not be charged extra for browsing
or leaving the router connected.
The UK Broadband router is something we will be
recommending to all of you in the New Year, purely
because it’s cheap, quick, and an item all offices should
have.
UK Broadband also provide the Relish 4G Service built on
the same infrastructure
4G Coverage is limited to certain areas of central
London, but more postcodes are added every month

3. Geoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff Courts
Typing on a
mobile phone
can be annoying.
Really annoying,
especially if you
want to go fast
and autocorrect
changes what
you meant to
say into
something that
might cause the
person you’re
messaging to
call the Police or
social services.
So, to save time
and aggravation
all round, you
can create short
alternatives to
common words
or phrases.
On iOSiOSiOSiOS you’ll
find this under
Settings > General > Keyboard > Shortcuts
On AndroidAndroidAndroidAndroid, under Settings > Languages & Input
Examples I have used are my various email addresses.
geoff@macnamara-ict.co.uk is shortened simply to ‘gmac’ and my full
address is added after I start typing my house number.
Victorian Wearable Technology
Geoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff Courts Our last issue of 2014 had a short piece on Wearable
Technology and looked at some of the pending designs like the Apple
Watch. But wearable tech is not new. The Victorians were keen
inventors and were known for some fairly awesome technology such as
the paddle steamer (Isambard Kingdom Brunel), steel (Henry Bessemer)
and of course the telephone (Alexander Graham Bell).
A new book Inventions That Didn’t Change The World examines some
other ideas that didn’t achieve such greatness. In 1839 the Board Of
Trade established the
Designs Registry as an
alternative forum to
the patent office for
people to submit
drawings of their ideas
rather than more
detailed patent
applications to get the
ideas on record, and
the book examines
some of them.
Some of the ideas
were, as the books
title suggests, fairly rubbish. Fork Scissors, an Artificial Leech for
drawing blood (leeches became so popular as a medicinal cure, they
were in short supply), and an Air Conditioned Top Hat (a hat with a
hole in the top) were among the ones that didn’t make it.
Hopefully the wearable tech prospects for 2015 are more promising.
Quick Tip | Mobile ShortcutsManaged Print
Jack JonesJack JonesJack JonesJack Jones I find printers rather annoying– when they stop working,
they rarely give us good reason. Like a sick pet, something’s wrong,
but they can’t say what.
Depending on your
volume of printing, you
may be spending
hundreds (yearly,
possibly even
thousands?) of pounds on
paper, ink and printer
servicing. You try to print
a 20 page document and at
page 16, it comes to a halt –
paper jam. You check the
tray, and there’s nothing there. Or, that important report for your
client presentation comes out weak and faded. The toner’s out but
you can’t get a delivery for another couple of days.
The solution?The solution?The solution?The solution? Managed Print Services are your answer to the
logistical side of things and the cost. Many of the Managed Print
Services will have a method to monitor your printer and receive their
own alert when you are low on consumables, such as toner, and they
can have it shipped to you automatically with the objective of it
arriving just before the printer runs out.
You will likely be pay a cost per page (differentiated between black
and white or colour) , which works out much cheaper than buying
toners outright, but while the printer is on the contract, you will also
have servicing and engineer visits included (in most cases).
Since we switched to managed print services, we cut our printing
costs roughly in half, with printer rage reduced by at least 90%.
The "bona fide ventilating hat" would have allowed men
to wear hats without overheating.
Printer chewing up those TPS reports?
There is a less frustrating solution
The Year of IT (in)Security | Part 1: The Enemy
Ciaran KennyCiaran KennyCiaran KennyCiaran Kenny For anyone with even a passing interest in IT security, 2014
came to a fascinating end: what with the Sony hack escalating to become
an issue of US national security, a reassessment of where the Stuxnet
worm might have originated (hint: it seemed to focus on ‘enemies’ of the
US), and the discovery of Regin, a positively super-powered bit of
spyware. All three exploits are of a level of sophistication not seen
before; almost certainly
involving either state level
or very well resourced
attackers.
Stuxnet appears to have
shut down a large part of
Iran’s nuclear programme.
Regin just hangs around
for months recording
everything before
constructing a highly
personalised and wholly
credible attack to relieve
its targets of large
amounts of money.
And, as for that Sony hack, apart from threatening the security of United
States, the world has been deprived (well, if we forget about bit
torrents) of another Seth Rogen work of art.
So, as small businesses, should we care? I think we should, if only because
2014 has made it clear that when it comes to IT security we are now
facing an array of pretty menacing unknown unknowns. Who really knows
what ‘the enemy’ wants but he has demonstrated an ability to get
through some pretty serious defences.
Hopefully having this picture here won’t
mean we’ll be the next target

4. Unit 2.1 Hoxton Works
128 Hoxton Street
London
N1 6SH
020 3102 2140
enquiries@macnamara-ict.co.uk
Macnamara ICT Ltd was setup in 2003 to provide the
very best in IT Management and Support to
businesses throughout London and beyond. We have
consciously modelled ourselves on the professional
services rather than traditional technology sector.
If you would like to know more about Macnamara
ICT Ltd please contact
Ciaran Kenny | Managing DirectorCiaran Kenny | Managing DirectorCiaran Kenny | Managing DirectorCiaran Kenny | Managing Director
ciaran@macnamaraciaran@macnamaraciaran@macnamaraciaran@macnamara----ict.co.uk | 020 3102 2141ict.co.uk | 020 3102 2141ict.co.uk | 020 3102 2141ict.co.uk | 020 3102 2141
We would love to have your feedback on how we
can improve this newsletter. Contact the Editor:
Geoff Courts | Marketing ManagerGeoff Courts | Marketing ManagerGeoff Courts | Marketing ManagerGeoff Courts | Marketing Manager
geoff@macnamarageoff@macnamarageoff@macnamarageoff@macnamara----ict.co.uk | 020 3102 2142ict.co.uk | 020 3102 2142ict.co.uk | 020 3102 2142ict.co.uk | 020 3102 2142
Cyber Streetwise Who We Are
This isn’t all of us, but we’re
the ones you are most likely
to come across.
Ciaran KennyCiaran KennyCiaran KennyCiaran Kenny
MD, came to
London from
Dublin in the
late 70’s
following the
punk movement. Worked on the
redevelopment of Baker St tube
before getting into IT, and has a
website
everystationinlondon.comeverystationinlondon.comeverystationinlondon.comeverystationinlondon.com
documenting the architecture
of, you guessed it, every station
in London
Geoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff Courts
Has been with
Macnamara
for over 6 1/2
years. Plays
guitar and
bass in some bands but definitely
doesn’t sing. Practices Tai Chi
Chuan. Used to be a store
manager at Starbucks but
doesn’t like to talk about that.
Jack JonesJack JonesJack JonesJack Jones
Formerly
drum major in
the UK’s
leading youth
marching
band, has marched in the Lord
Mayors Show, and on a video for
The Feeling. Currently learning
trombone.
Jude BrownJude BrownJude BrownJude Brown
The newest
team member,
Jude is on an
apprenticeship
learning
technical pre-sales and support.
Formerly a holiday club rep and
barman, as well as army cadet.
Jargon BusterJargon BusterJargon BusterJargon Buster | Some definitions explained
Net Neutrality |Net Neutrality |Net Neutrality |Net Neutrality | The concept that all traffic on the internet should be treated equally, and be given equal
status by hardware and broadband providers.
4G |4G |4G |4G | The data network provided by mobile telecoms carriers. Faster than 3G, which most smartphones
are able to access, it can deliver speeds faster than some ADSL broadband connections.
Managed Print |Managed Print |Managed Print |Managed Print | More than just renting a printer, it often covers service and some consumables.
Geoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff CourtsGeoff Courts Cyber security is something that, by
now, you will have realised we keep harping on
about.
The UK
government has a
standard known
as ISO27001 for
Information
Security
Management, and
achieving it
means that you
know you have a
secure system.
The cost of getting it can be quite high for a small
business though, which is why the lesser, but still
secure, scheme called Cyber Essentials has been
developed with SMEs in mind.
Macnamara will be helping our clients achieve this
standard in 2015, and as a result of the security
practices we put in place as standard the majority
will find they need to do little if anything new to
fully qualify.
Cyber StreetwiseCyber StreetwiseCyber StreetwiseCyber Streetwise
While the branding of the Cyber Streetwise
campaign makes it look a bit Sesame Street, the
principles behind the public awareness of the cyber
streetwise program are definitely valuable and
worth taking on board. The campaign covers simple
things like why installing software updates is a
good thing, and what secure passwords are.
For example, it’s not uncommon for our
customers to have trouble every now and then
choosing a new password because the word they
want to use isn’t complicated enough. The best
practice guide recommends a password that is
made up of multiple words, plus numbers and
symbols. Most password policies also require a
minimum of 8 letters.
“For example look around and pick three random
things that you can see like ‘plant’, ‘chair’ and
‘ink’. Put these three words together and swap
some of the letters for numbers and symbols like
this: pl@ntCha!r1nk Remember: The longer your
password is, the harder it is to crack. “
Much of the security is covered by us as standard,
and many of the suggestions have been discussed
in these pages. Recognising a secure website, why
we install updates on Servers and PCs, and maybe
the biggest one of all, the importance of ‘User
Awareness’, all play their part in keeping your
data, but also yourself, secure online.
For more details on getting qualified for Cyber
Essentials, just ask. Or we’ll be in touch soon
enough.