As we leave 2008 behind us and crash head first in to 2009 it’s worth taking a moment to look back at some of the tech developments last year, as well as some of those to look forward too. There are simply too many developments from the past year to discuss in detail, some of them are overly complex to explain, and some of them are just not really that interesting from a users perspective (although given time they no doubt will be). So I’ve taken a selection of what I think are interesting developments that have or will have some impact to you – the reader.
Cloud Computing
Cloud computing is a general term given to resources that are provided as a service via the Internet. Companies such as Google, Microsoft and Amazon offer various online business solutions. The idea behind cloud computing is that instead of purchasing what can be expensive hardware and software solutions to perform a particular function - perhaps your e-mail system - you rent the solution from a company offering a cloud service, and then access this resource via an Internet connection.
I don’t see cloud computing as the be-all end-all solution for everyone, nor will it completely replace on-site solutions. There are many reasons why you would not replace an on-site solution for an off-site one, for example there are regulatory and legal reasons why some companies cannot host e-mail outside of their business.
iPhone 3G
The successor to the very popular iPhone, the 3G version introduced 3G network support and GPS. From a functional point of view the iPhone doesn’t do anything else that a normal Smartphone cannot do, however what the iPhone did do was give these smart devices a better market image.
BBC iPlayer
Whilst it was released in 2007, it deserves a special mention as it now gets over 1 million programme requests a day, and in November hit 237 million viewing requests The BBC iPlayer is a media content delivery system from the BBC – it allows you to download broadcasted programmes via the Internet straight to your PC.
Windows Server 2008
The latest version of Microsoft’s enterprise server builds upon the foundations laid by its predecessor and Windows Vista. Some of the new features added to the new version of windows server include an updated Server Manager dashboard plus new technology such as BitLocker and Network Access Protection to help keep your network and electronic information secure.
The Small Business edition of Windows Server 2008 is an all-in-one server solution designed to help you keep your data more secure and your company more productive. Just like the previous versions of SBS it provides many of the features used by larger companies; e-mail, remote working, support for mobile devices, secure file and printer sharing,and data backup.
For small and medium businesses looking for a professional server solution there can be no better option than that award winning Windows Small Business Server 2008, and we hope to be installing a few of these servers during 2009.
So that’s 2008 out of the way, what can we expect from 2009?
Windows Home Server
Windows Home Server solutions have been around for nearly a year now, but it is only really that PC manufacturers have started to embrace this technology. These new computers act as a central storage hub for all your digital media, photos, video, music you store it all on your Windows Home Server and then can access it from any computer or media receiver (like an Xbox 360) in your house. You can even access your media remotely over the Internet.
With the focus of multimedia in the home growing year on year, it is only a matter of time before homes start getting built with devices like Windows Home Servers already present and we’re all watching streamed media in any room at any time from these servers or over the Internet.
Microsoft Online Services
Scheduled for UK release in 2009, Microsoft Online Services are, as the label suggests, online services offered from Microsoft. Now businesses can have access to facilities such as Exchange, Dynamics CRM and SharePoint (to name but 3) over the Internet and without the need for their own in-house Servers.
Whilst hosted services, like hosted Exchange, have been around for some time what makes this different is that it is Microsoft themselves running the show. It’s their hardware and infrastructure you end up using. And being Microsoft, you can even mix the online with the offline – for example (sorry a bit of technical jargon coming up here), you can integrate a Microsoft hosted exchange solution with your local Active Directory infrastructure.
Windows 7
Slated for release in late 2009 early 2010 the successor to Windows Vista promises to deliver a richer computing experience. On January 10th Microsoft released the first public beta version of Windows 7, and already many reviews have come out stating what an improvement over Windows Vista it is. Windows 7 has built in support for touch-screens, called Windows Touch it allows you to use a touch screen to control the functions of your computer, be it playing media or flipping through your photo album.
Windows 7 promises to be what Windows Vista was meant to be – a media rich, easy to user computing experience.
If any of this has wetted your appetite for 2009 why not come and have a chat to us about it. Our knowledgeable and friendly staff are only a phone call away, and who knows, maybe 2009 is the year your IT starts working for you instead of the other way around.