Protecting Your Information - Laptop Encryption

At Eitex, we are being asked more and more about how busy professionals can protect the business critical and often sensitive information they carry around on laptop and netbook computers.

The simple solution to this problem is to encrypt the laptop disk drive so that only the owner of the computer can access the data.

Most computers have a password which is used to prevent access to the software, applications and data in a casual fashion.  Passwords, and particularly strong passwords* are a vital component in preventing unauthorised access to information and applications.  However, they only protect systems that remain in the physical possession of the owner.

Once physical possession is compromised, as in the case of a lost or stolen computer, then there are ways of bypassing the logical access controls imposed by usernames and passwords.  Such bypass techniques can be as simple as using a brute-force password cracking tool or just simply removing the hard disk drive from the machine and plugging it in to another computer.

This can be a particular problem in the case of mobile computers, where the opportunity for loss or theft is far greater than machines protected by a secure physical environment.

Encryption of the hard drive can protect against the dangers highlighted above.  It means that, in effect, if the computer is lost or stolen, the data cannot be accessed by the new owner without the password or pass phrase used to perform the encryption.  In addition, where whole disk encryption is utilised, the system cannot even be started unless it is completely reinstalled - overwriting any data on the disk drive.

So if you want to protect your mobile computers, or even your office based ones should you feel the need, then contact Eitex and we will be more than happy to go through your requirements and help you decide on the best solution for your business.


* Strong Passwords should be at least 12 characters long and consist of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and special characters such as !'#@"£$ etc.  They should not be made up of dates, names or dictionary words - even obscure ones!

New IT Support Contract won for Riverside Cards

As an long standing member of the Greetings Cards Industry, we place great value on our IT infrastructure and with this in mind we went into the market and received proposals from a number of IT Support companies.

The company which ticked all the boxes was Eitex. Riverside Cards’ IT co-ordinator Andrew Linley commented “We chose Eitex as their staff are skilled and friendly. Suggestions made were explained in plain English which made the company directors feel at ease. Eitex are also Microsoft Gold Partners which for us added credibility”.
We are looking forward to working alongside the friendly and professional team at Eitex.
Eitex will be implementing Microsoft BPOS and providing IT Support services. We will also be looking to migrate to Office 365 when it becomes available.

IT Support Blackburn

National IT support firm opens new Lancashire franchise operation.


Eitex, originally set up in Batley West Yorkshire to provide IT support services to local businesses today announced the launch of a new franchise operation in the Blackburn area of Lancashire.

The new business franchise continues the Eitex philosophy of being the “UK’s local IT service and support provider”, allowing it to provide local support services with the backup of national infrastructure and a team with complementary skills.

“The launch of our Blackburn office is great news and extends our reach further, in line with our UK wide expansion programme”, commented Managing Director Dean Spencer.

“Our Bradford office, which launched last year, is doing fantastically well and having Lee Hezzlewood on board to oversee the Blackburn franchise, with his security and businesses expertise, adds to our already extensive set of skills.”

Lee is currently undergoing franchise training in Batley before formally opening the Blackburn office. His background includes many years working as an IT consultant for Blue Chip Companies, and as an IT security consultant before setting up his own Information Security business “Secure Thinking” last year.

“The Eitex franchise presented a great opportunity for me to join a great team whose attention to detail and quality of service will help businesses in the Blackburn, Burnley and surrounding areas better manage their IT systems”, said Lee Hezzlewood.

New Contract won by Eitex Bradford

Donald Race and Newton Solicitors.

Today is a good day for Eitex Bradford. We are proud to announce that we are now supporting Donald Race and Newton Solicitors who have offices in Burnley and Colne.

They were looking to get the most out of their IT and came to Eitex for advice on how to go about this. As a result over the next few months we are going to be implementing some pretty exciting projects with them which should see them really benefitting and getting the most from their IT.

If you want to see how you can get more from your IT then simply log onto www.eitex.co.uk and find your nearest Eitex office and get stress free IT.

New Year's Resolution

Are you making a New Year's Resolution?

It's that time of year again when we all make new year's resolutions.  It's pretty much par for the course.  We will be all enthusiastic for the 1st few days or maybe even weeks (if you're really keen).  Then it will all tail off into nothing.

The same story happens every year - why should this be any different?

Well how about setting a New Year's Resolution you can stick to?  One that will enhance your professional or business life?  One that will bring huge benefits to your organisation?

The New Year's Resolution I'm talking about is to call Eitex and let us see if we can help you improve your use of IT within your business.  We can look at your current  IT systems and investigate whether they are performing to their maximum or whether there is room for improvement.

We can also help you out with ongoing IT support issues and technical computer problems which often plague businesses and are frequently left unfixed by many IT support providers.

So whatever IT needs you may have, whether you require help with hardware such as printers, laptops, servers or mobile devices, with security in the form of anti-virus, anti-spyware or device encryption, or with software solutions such as CRM, Exchange or Microsoft Office, contact Eitex now.

Make this year's resolution one that truly benefits you and your business!

The reason I like Microsoft CRM #MSCRM

We have recently been migrating our IT Support helpdesk from Frontrange HEAT, to Microsoft CRM.

When I first started using Microsoft CRM is was a real culture shock! There seems to be a lot of clicking, in a lot of different Windows. Simple tasks suddenly became arduous and time consuming. At first some of the boundaries of CRM seemed imposing and inflexible. How wrong was I!?!

The more I used CRM the more I became to like it. I began to find my way around much quicker and more easily. The look and feel of the product began to feel more natural, intuitive and ergonomic.

The number of clicks is still an issue, but due to the flexibility of CRM we have been able to enter default values in many fields eliminating the need to click at all. Workflows have also been used heavily to automate tasks which previously were very time consuming. The transfer of data for example from one object to another is seamless and effortless.

The downside to CRM is that it is many things. To get the most from it therefore considerable development has to be invested. This though could be considered as a good thing though, as Microsoft CRM can be moulded and sculpted around your company to fit it's exacting needs. No package can offer this level of refinement out of the box.

The possibilities of Microsoft CRM seem endless, each time I use it I think of ways to improve it, tweak it and tune it to make our companies' processes and procedures even more efficient.

Currently we are looking at @scribesoft to link to @Sage. CRM will ultimately send letters to customers reminding them that their account is due for payment. Letters will be stored and tracked in CRM. Again another example of automation!

If you would like a demo of this amazing product please just get in touch.

Coping with the "Big Freeze"

Has your business been affected by the “Big Freeze”? Are your staff unable to get into work once the white stuff starts falling?

If so, have you considered how you can continue running your business even when your staff can’t attend your offices?

Here at Eitex we have had the same problems as everyone else. Our staff have been stuck at home, unable to get into the office.

However, we have remained in operation, servicing our client’s needs as effectively as if we were all in the office, and only attending client sites and meeting client representatives has been affected. This means that, in spite of our office being empty we’ve been about 92% as effective as we would normally be. Quite an achievement I’m sure you’ll agree.

So how have we done this?

As you can imagine, Eitex as a technology company has invested time and resources into our IT infrastructure. Whilst we provide IT support services to other businesses we also ensure our own business can cope with the demands made of it.

We have implemented technical solutions to provide our workforce with the ability to work from anywhere they have internet access. This means our staff remain effective whatever the weather or their personal circumstances. It also means that we have 1st hand knowledge and experience when it comes to helping our customers.

So if you need to make sure your staff can work effectively, in spite of the weather, then call us now and let us help you keep your business running.

Let’s make snow an excuse to carry on working as normal – and save the sledging for the weekends!