Data, data everywhere - Securing the Internet of Things Q+A

By Lee Prior & Paul Harman






















Take a look around the typical home 10 years ago and you could probably count the number of devices connected to the internet on the fingers of one hand for the most part, but take a look around that same home today and you’re likely to run out fingers before you run out of devices. Computers, Phones, Games Consoles, TV’s even ligtbulbs, thermostats and doorbells in some cases, and these are going to be joined by a whole host of other things in the coming months and years.

Windows Server: The Support Available

By Phil Lamplugh

Windows Server 2016 has been out for a while now, so I thought it would be a good time go through all of the support that you can get from Westcoast.

First of all, one of key selling points of Westcoast overall is that we don’t use any sort of voicemail system here. Every time you call during our office hours (and sometimes outside of them), you’re guaranteed to speak to a human straight away.

The new Surface Pro is here – and you need it in your life

By Phil Lamplugh

I had the benefit of attending the Surface Partner Briefing event yesterday. Given the recent spate of announcements, there was no shortage of things to talk about. But it was the new Surface Pro that was the main conversation piece.

Having seen it in the flesh, the first thing to report is as that in terms of appearance it looks very similar to a Surface Pro 4, and that’s not a bad thing – why change what works? Still, Microsoft are being very clear that this isn’t a Surface Pro 5 – there’s no more talk of a ‘tablet that replaces your PC’; instead, the new Surface Pro is touted as ‘the most versatile laptop’, and when you take a look at the components it’s easy to see why.

Secure Productive Enterprise: The Next Big Thing for Licences in Office 365

By Tom Marwood

At the backend of last year, rather under the radar, Microsoft released a gem of a package that rolled out across multiple platforms. Although not advertised too much at the time, it’s now being noticed, and rightly so. This blog will discuss what it is, and how you can license it.

SPE (Secure Productive Enterprise) is the latest ‘bundle’ to be rolled out on Office 365 away from your standard Office 365 offerings. This combines the latest technology across Windows, Office 365, Enterprise Mobility and Security. Obviously there are packages such as Enterprise E3, Business Premium and so forth, but SPE gives you that next level of products, all in one price. There are two different products for SPE (E3 and E5), each offering the below:

Why choose Epson inkjet for your business?

By Nicola Upe

Now is the time to invest in this future-minded technology

While so many vendors are scaling down strategies and reducing headcounts, Epson are investing €50 million into our European operations. Why? Because now is the best time for Epson inkjet printers.

Over the next two years, Epson plan to increase their current workforce by 10%, and kick off a strategic shift from consumer to business markets with a focus on infrastructure, information technology, marketing and headcount. 

3 reasons why you should consider the new Windows Server 2016

By the Microsoft Team

The 1st of October saw the launch of Windows Server 2016, and one of the biggest changes in licensing for Microsoft’s server operating system. The new licensing model is unlike any other and is the perfect balance between traditional IT responsibilities and needs.

Take a look at the infographic below which explains 3 great reasons why you should consider the new Windows Server 2016.

How to Make Margin and Sell Value in the Cloud

By Rebecca Richards

The afternoon of 16th November…We can’t wait. The smell of coffee, the taste of cakes, and the satisfaction of us being able to enable our resellers on how they can enhance their ability to sell a multitude of cloud solutions.

We are so excited to be part of what is set to be another great cloud event. On the 16th of November Westcoast are hosting the next in our line of Nebula events at our fantastic Milton Keynes office and demo centre.

Although you will have to venture around the many roundabouts of Milton Keynes, the parking is plentiful as well as the smiles and experience from the Westcoast Team you’ll get to meet in person.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise - 1 Year On

By Lee Prior 

If you work within the IT industry and didn’t hear about the HP split last year then you must have been either ridiculously busy or living under a very large rock…on an island…somewhere in the South Pacific. 

If though you’re like the rest of us, then you would have no doubt been waiting for the inevitable stumbles, disruptions, delays and apologies that an undertaking of such enormity should by all rights bring, and were most likely as surprised as we all were when everything went remarkably smoothly.

SPLA Update: Windows Server and System Centre 2016 moving to Core based licensing

By Imran Malik

Microsoft has changed the licensing model of Windows Server and System Centre from Processors to Cores on the 2016 versions – these were released on the 1st October 2016.

Here’s what you need to know

• The per core licence model replaces the processor licence model on the October SPUR
• Each physical processor needs a minimum of 8 core licences
• The price for 1 processor licence = price for 8 core licenses
• The media was available on VLSC from the 12th of October 2016 
• Both Windows Server Standard & Datacenter Editions provide support for unlimited Windows Server containers
• Windows Server Standard Edition requires all physical cores to be licensed in order to run one Windows Hyper-V container (or Virtual Machine)
• Windows Server Datacenter Edition requires all physical cores to be licensed in order to run unlimited Windows Hyper-V containers (or Virtual Machines)

Fraud not flattery

By Nicola Upe

The subject of counterfeit products has been high on the channel news agenda recently in particular the issue of fake toner cartridges. Westcoast supplies vendor, KYOCERA recently revealed that they have seized fraudulent goods worth in excess €5m (£3.92m) since April. Worryingly, this points to a significant increase compared to 2015, when the firm seized more than 100,000 units, worth in excess of €10m throughout the whole year.

Windows Server 2016- Licensing Deep Dive

By Dave Jennings 

Following the introductory blog to Windows Server 2016, this post will go into a bit more depth on the licensing itself, with some real life examples explained.

Windows Server 2016 Datacenter and Standard are licensed on a core & CAL basis. There are 2 key requirements to bear in mind:

• There is a minimum licensing requirement of 8 cores per physical processor, 
• You must license 16 cores per host server. 

So instead of buying a single licence to cover a physical server, you now buy a quantity of the 2 core licence – depending how many cores the server has. As long as these minimums are met, it keeps Microsoft happy and the customer is licensed compliantly.

Blink and you'll miss this ultra thin laptop...

The first thing you’ll notice about the HP Spectre Pro 13 G1 (other than the long name), is how incredibly thin it is. In fact, at 1.04 cm it’s one of the slimmest around. With this observation in mind, it’s especially impressive to see what HP have managed to do with such a small amount of space for parts.

The Spectre Pro 13 is hiding a powerful 2.5 GHz i7 processor that turbo boosts to 3.1 GHz, which, along with the 8GB of RAM, means it can cope with the most intense workloads, such as design work or video editing. That’s not to say that business executives should pass this by; indeed, the ultra-portability of the laptop means that it invites the user to take it from meeting to meeting on a daily basis, especially with the 38 Wh Li-ion polymer battery powering the Spectre through a full working day.

Sound good? Find out it's other great features by reading the full article here.

From Seed to Tree – Westcoast’s Apple Enablement Portal Can Help Your Business Grow

More than anything, this blog is about passing on useful information to our customers, and if you happen to be an Apple reseller we have some very useful information for you: we’ve revamped our Enablement Portal.

While our original Apple hub did a good enough job at providing the basics for our customers, we felt that it could use a little improvement. Consequently, we’ve spent the last few months researching and information-gathering to find out how we could deliver more of what you’re looking for.  This is what we came up with:

                                                      www.westcoast.co.uk/apple

7 things you should know about Twitter Analytics

By Sian Walsh

Back in 2014 twitter launched a game changer for us marketeers by introducing Twitter Analytics. For the first time users were able to see how many times users have viewed and engaged with organic tweets, enabling them to more effectively optimise their content and social strategy.

Two years on Twitter Analytics has developed even further and just knowing the basics, will help you utilise the free tool, which is a must for any small business or individual to help understand how well your social media is performing.

Twitter Analytics is a free tool and can be accessed here: https://analytics.twitter.com

Take a look at the infographic below.

How long can your customers afford to be without a server?

By Lee Prior

Warranty is not enough! Warranty protects hardware but HPE support keeps businesses running.

Think IT support services will break your customer’s budget? Think again. Chances are that you’ll spend more per day on a morning cup of coffee than on HPE Support Services.

Are your customers adequately covered under warranty? Warranty is a limited offering only providing:

• Monday-Friday 8am to 5pm only (No weekend or Bank Holiday cover) 
• Next business day response – Reasonable endeavours 
• No software support 
• Selected options are not covered by server warranty i.e. SATA ATA PATA drives (1 year warranty) 
• If a fault occurs on Friday morning, it may be Monday afternoon before an engineer goes to the site

If your customers require support outside of standard working-hours and are not protected adequately can they really afford to be without a server...?

Read more here

Exploring CSP

By Phil Lamplugh 

There’s an unavoidable acronym that can be heard up and down the Westcoast office every day. CSP is making huge noise in the channel right now, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to be dying down.

I’ve heard ‘CSP’ said so much, that the actual meaning of the letters has been lost in the buzz of what’s usually associated with the phrase: monthly billing; wrap-around services; 24/7 support. So let’s take a step back. As a relative newcomer to the channel, I decided to investigate the perceived wonder that is CSP.

Attention Educators – It's time to graduate to a professional document-management system with Fujitsu

There is never more of a need for technological innovation than within the classroom. After all, our entire lives are digitized and as the children of the digital age grow and develop, technology is forever entwined with their learning throughout their education.

But how about something to actually enhance the learning experience for the teachers as well....?