Why we love cloud storage

‘Cloud storage’ has been the real buzzword in computer circles in the past couple of years, but what exactly is it and why might you be missing out if you don’t use it yet? Cloud storage is essentially a way to store your documents and information online in a dedicated space, with an example of cloud software being Dropbox. It means you can take your documents out of the office system and save them somewhere externally.

The main benefit of this is that it perfectly aids flexible working, and means that if your employees don’t want to be chained to the office or need to carry out any work from home, they can easily log in to their cloud storage account for easy access to absolutely everything they could need. Otherwise, this means transferring everything to a USB stick or something similar, which obviously poses security risks if it goes missing and is inconvenient.

Secondly, cloud storage offers some degree of protection for your company and your information. This is because storing something on a central office-based system can turn out to be a disaster if the system goes down. Alternatively, if your office computers are hit by a virus, this can infiltrate the entire system and can corrupt all of your files, leaving you without customer information, company information and login details, and it can seriously compromise everyone’s security.

Another reason we love cloud storage is the fact that it saves a lot of time that would otherwise be spent emailing attachments backwards and forwards around the office, so it’s a very efficient way for everyone to access documents. It’s really useful if everyone can always access all of the documents, and makes it a lot easier to co-ordinate computer-based activities.

Taking all of your saved documents out of a computer system can also help to speed up the office computers. There will end up being a lot of information and documents saved on each computer and on the central system, and slow computers can be incredibly frustrating for office staff, so putting everything online will make the system much faster and more efficient.

Of course, cloud storage won’t work for everyone, and it can take a bit of getting used to. It might be a good idea to get yourself set up with a professional ITcompany. If you’re really lucky, they might be willing to transfer all of your important documents over for you so you can hit the ground running!

SATA Express for more speed for SSD and HDD

The general connector for hard drives, SSDs, and DVD or Blue ray drive is SATA. With the current SATA technology, up to 600 megabytes per second transfer - sounds like a lot, but it's for the fastest SSDs still it is too slow, and the now created SATA Express can transfer more than 700 to 900 megabytes per second. The SATA-IO, a coalition of major manufacturers, has now adopted SATA Express up to two gigabytes per second are possible. The name refers not only to express the increased pace, but also on the technology used. With SATA Express the transfer of data is now of PCI Express. In addition to higher speeds, there are also new standards for the size of SSDs - which simplifies the manufacturers of ultra books and tablet PCs, the development of new devices. Moreover, it would be easier in the future to replace an outgrown SSD by a model with the same dimensions and connections with higher capacity.

Whistle.im A best alternative for WhatsApp from Germany

"Secure Instant Messaging made in Germany. "That's the message of two students currently developing an encrypted alternative to WhatsApp. Two students from Germany found the flaws in Whatsapp and have the research project "Whistle.im" launched without the security flaws in it. Whistle.im is an instant messenger that protects all messages with a so-called 2048-bit end-to-end encryption. The messages to be transmitted will be encrypted on the device of the sender and decrypted only by the recipient. This eliminates server as intermediate stations on which the messages are present in plain text. To understand the encryption technology that enable developers on its website an insight into the cryptographic module used. When installing the application, the user must only provide limited privileges. Thus, for example, the app can read or store any contact. The current beta version so far only allowed sending encrypted text messages. Other functions such as the encrypted exchange of photos will be added shortly. The beta version for Android is available in Google Play. An iOS version will be released soon. In contrast to competitors Whistle.im is also available through the browser. As with all alternatives to the success of WhatsApp; the Whistle.im is in the upward trend.

Microsoft announces eight security updates in August Patch

The August Patch Tuesday 13 August 2013 brings Windows users probably eight security updates. They include critical vulnerabilities in Microsoft software. Microsoft plans to the August Patch Tuesday and released eight security updates. Three of the announced updates are for ironing critical weaknesses in current Windows operating systems, from the Internet Explorer and special server software from Microsoft. The information from the Microsoft website for any updates there in August for the Office suite. Certain, however, is an update of the "Malicious Software Removal Tool" (32 bit, 64 bit). Microsoft's Patch Tuesday is usually on the second Tuesday of each month instead - the next Patch Tuesday is thus 10 September 2013. The security updates install automatically with the appropriate setup with active Internet connection.

Ways to Use Your Mobile Device to Save Money

Smartphones have changed so much about the way people get information and the way that people communicate. It is abundantly clear that Smartphones can do a lot for you, but one thing that many people overlook is that Smartphones can also help them to save a considerable amount of money. By using your Smartphone in a money-conscious and strategic way, your shopping trips can prove much more enjoyable because you’ll end up getting more for less.
Tips on How to Use Your Mobile Device to Save Money

While it’s easy to find tips on how to save money by buying less, it’s much more enjoyable when you can save money and still get the goods and services you want (and need). Luckily, there are some Smartphone apps available that can help you do just that by:

• Giving you a price reduction on items you want (think new wave coupons)
• Finding the best prices available through price comparison analysis

Here are some key apps that you should consider installing if you are serious about using your Smartphone to save as much money as you can:

• The ValPak Mobile app:  The ValPak mobile app is a free download that you can use on your smartphone to save money in many different ways. You can, for example, find 100s of local deals and coupons on the app that you can use at your favorite stores. Simply show the coupons to the cashier to enjoy instant hassle-free savings. No more worrying about printing coupons and then forgetting them at home when you have the mobile app. You can also do a number of other money-saving activities with your ValPak mobile app including redeeming QR codes; adding coupons to your Windows® Phone Wallet or iOS Passbook; sending coupons to your wireless printer; or sharing coupons with a friend.
• The Slickdeals iPhone App: This app gives you on-the-go access to the biggest community-driven deal sharing site in the United States. Not only can you browse for hot deals but you can also access coupons and learn about sales promotions right from your phone.
• The Groupon App:  Groupon is a daily deals site that offers the hottest local deals every day. With Groupon on your smartphone, you can always access the best and latest offerings that are available where you live. You can also redeem Groupons directly from your phone rather than having to print them out, which means that you will never leave your Groupon at home again.
• The Grocery iQ app: This app is specifically designed to save you money on your grocery shopping needs. Grocery iQ has many features that can benefit you when doing your weekly food shopping. There is a search function to help you find coupons that are available at your favorite stores that you enjoy shopping at. You can also create a shopping list easily as the app has a database that can be searched by voice, text and barcode. Once you have made your shopping list, you can sync the shopping list and your available coupons with the Grocery iQ website.   Everyone has to shop for food, so it just makes sense to ensure that you are getting the best deals possible and saving as much as you can.  The Grocery iQ app helps you to do just that.
• Shopkick: This app is designed to provide you awards points for visiting participating retailers like Target, Best Buy and Macy’s.  If you scan specific items within the store, you can earn even more points. The points can then be redeemed for restaurant and gift cards.
• Ibotta: Ibotta offers cash rewards for purchasing participating items.  The app is specifically designed to save you money on groceries. Before you head to the grocery store, you can select the offers that you are going to participate in on the Ibotta app. The more offers you choose, the more cash rewards you are able to redeem. The cash rewards are able to be deposited directly into your PayPal account once the purchase has been verified.  You are even able to get a bonus for signing up and giving the app a try.

These are just a few of the many apps out there that allow you to save money by using the technology that your smartphone offers you. From the ValPak mobile app to the other items on the list, using the apps is simple and easy and there is no cost to you--- only savings. Download some of these money saving apps today to get started on making your shopping more affordable and making your dollar stretch further.
Jack Torse is a technology geek, smart phone app junkie in every since of the word. He loves finding new ways to improve the quailty of life through technology. If there is a problem that needs solving Jack is a firm believer in the phrase "There's an app for that".