For public and third sector organisations, digital transformation holds a more valuable seat at the table than ever right now – enabling government services and programmes to be delivered more efficiently, transparently, and cost effectively across the board.
But with already significant pressures being exacerbated – by the cost-of-living crisis, nationwide skills shortage, and increasing proliferation of cyber attacks, amongst other factors – keeping pace with progress can feel like a challenge.
That’s why the G-Cloud 13 Framework is such a valuable service. Aiming to simplify the process of procuring cloud-based services and solutions, the Crown Commercial Service (CCS) initiative lists only the highest standard of UK tech providers.
Following a rigorous application and review process, Central Networks is proud to have secured a position on this agreement. With our portfolio of hosting, software, and support aids now available via this digital marketplace, we’re looking forward to helping more organisations achieve maximum commercial value when purchasing common goods and services.
Speaking on the achievement, our director of operations, John Blackburn, commented: “Having partnered with a variety of charities, healthcare providers, and educational institutes throughout our 30+ years of operation, we’re well aware of the challenges and opportunities facing public sector organisations.
“With this efficient and trusted route to procuring cloud computing services, drawn-out tendering procedures can be switched for an end-to-end, automated vendor comparison process. By reducing the risk of data silos, optimising technical resources, and improving regulatory compliance across a variety of industries, SMEs can reap the benefits of enhanced citizen support – in 2023, and beyond.”
To discover more about how Central Networks’ position on the G-Cloud 13 Framework can benefit your public sector organisation, please get in touch with our team of specialists. Or, if you want to browse the online catalogue and choose from over 40,000 services, head to the CCS website.
A year filled with unprecedented challenges and a need to navigate external pressures more collaboratively than ever before, 2022 is definitely another one for the history books. But while it’s certainly been different, it hasn’t come without reward and opportunity.
As we take time to reflect on our successes over the past 12 months, we’re filled with an overwhelming sense of pride and accomplishment over the things we’ve achieved.
And while you’ll often find us working in the background to keep your business-critical operations running smoothly – whether that’s optimising your tech infrastructure or providing first, second, and third-line support – we thought we’d pinch the limelight for just five minutes. Here’s what we’re celebrating…
While Central was already granted G-Cloud status, the recently introduced 13th iteration called for a renewed application. And we’re delighted to have been appointed!
From hosting and software to general support, this digital marketplace opens up new markets for the business – extending our cloud technology to public sector customers. With 10 new services already live for organisations to procure, we’re excited to broaden our horizons even further in 2023.
Despite only joining the fold this year our latest recruit has made a significant impact with colleagues, customers, and partners alike.
Bringing a portfolio of experiences and oodles of personality, Vicki not only keeps the business on top form, but is an excellent addition to the team on a cultural level too. Here’s hoping we get some equally impactful recruits next year! If you want in, why not contact us?
Sticking with the employee theme, we’re delighted to have seen Jordan Gallier take the next step in his career in 2022 – as he rose up the ranks from technical to senior architect.
Starting out as an apprentice just a few years ago it’s been a real privilege to watch Jordan move forward alongside the management team and play an ever-integral role in business growth and success. Who knows what’s next…
Being trusted to deliver on our promises has always been part of our DNA, here at Central. And while the advice we give has always been based on honesty and objectivity, this has been especially important for every sector we operate in this year – not least with so many challenges and questions around the integrity of organisations.
By providing comprehensive, well-considered assessments of IT requirements, this has given our customers the assurance they so desperately needed this year. And it’s something we look forward to continuing in 2023 and beyond.
As an outsourced IT partner, the support we offer is vast and varied. And since starting out in 1991, our mission to place IT at the heart of every business and keep it as headache-free as possible hasn’t wavered. This year, that’s seen Central strengthen existing relationships with clients and partners, as well as develop a whole host of new ones. Some notable mentions for various housing clients, for points six to 12, include…
And there’s plenty more where that came from! The end of the year brings no greater joy than the opportunity to thank our clients and partners for their continued support. We look forward to an even greater 2023, together.
You’ll also be pleased to know that, besides the bank holidays, we’ll be operating business as usual over the festive period. Those with out-of-hours cover in their contract should have the information on how to contact us, should Central’s support be required during this time.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Downtime occurs when a technology-related product or service is out-of-action and unavailable for use. This can either be planned – when upgrades and configurations are required, for example – or entirely unexpected due to systemwide failures, power outages, cyber security attacks, and more.
With an oft-cited statistic declaring that UK businesses could be losing an average of £3.6 million a year as a result – including 545 hours of wasted staff productivity – this impact is significant. And whether you’re an SME or blue-chip organisation, swallowing such spend is simply not an option in today’s uncertain economic climate.
The reality is, no organisation enjoys 100% uptime. But by developing a deep understanding of outage implications and how to minimise them, IT teams can build that all-important resilience to keep operations running as smoothly as possible. Our operations director, John Blackburn, explores this further…
Lost revenue: Whether it’s revenue lost in sales, paying out of pocket for recovery costs, or compensating unmet Service Level Agreement (SLA) commitments that have hindered business continuity elsewhere, a large part of the downtime sum will be related to direct finances. In the case of service outages, customers are unlikely to wait for the problem to be resolved and will instead be pushed towards competitors.
Tarnished reputation: Measuring intangible costs, such as business reputation, is a much more challenging assignment - and one that isn’t as easily reflected in numbers either. But that doesn’t make it any less severe. For customers, partners, and stakeholders alike, a network outage can significantly damage how much faith is placed in your service – particularly if you don’t react promptly, or the issue is ongoing. When Facebook suffered a global outage last year, the stock ended the day down nearly 5%!
Hindered productivity: Unplanned IT downtime can terminate work for an entire organisation for hours, and sometimes days, at a time. And for companies that rely on the public cloud for development efforts, as well as to communicate, the ability to do anything productive in this time comes to a complete standstill. For larger organisations paying a greater number of employee salaries, the impact is even greater.
How IT outsourcing can minimise risk
The first step to reducing the risk of IT downtime is through proactive monitoring and maintenance of the network. Instead of waiting for a problem to arise, or implementing a knee-jerk sticking plaster solution to cover the cracks, carry out a full health check of your tech stack. External IT partners can offer an invaluable service here, if you’d prefer not to eat up precious in-house resource.
A specialist third-party will not only advise where upgrades and repairs are required, but also take a proactive approach to ongoing upkeep – acting as an extension of your team to ensure systems are running efficiently in the background and enabling you to focus on more revenue-generating, value-add tasks. If you choose the best fit for your organisation, this relationship will be completely headache-free, and significantly minimise the cost of IT downtime.
If you’re keen to continue the conversation, why not get in touch for a no-obligation discussion? We’d love to chat through your requirements.
Here at Central, people are at the heart of the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of everything we do.
We started out on our IT journey back in 1991, and our mission and ethos haven’t changed. We’re a family-run firm that pride ourselves on our integrity, honesty, and objectivity – and we make IT stress free by keeping it as simple as possible.
But it’s our people who make this all possible. Get to know them more in our staff spotlight.
Name: Thomas Lindley
Job title: Technical engineer
Department: Engineering
Sum up your role at Central in one sentence:
The Azure Guru.
What three words would your colleagues use to describe you?
Helpful, knowledgeable, and comical (I hope!).
And what do you enjoy most about your job?
No two days are ever the same. We have customers with all different kinds of technologies, so supporting them means I am exposed to new challenges and scenarios all the time.
Check your phone, what was the last emoji you sent?
Crying laughing face (😂) and the monkey see no evil (🙈).
Who was or is your biggest inspiration?
It has to be my mum – she always made sure that I had everything I needed growing up and did everything she could for me and my brother.
You’re hosting a three-course dinner party, what’s on the menu?
Garlic and chilli prawns to start, steak, veg, and chunky chips for main, and a warm brownie with ice cream for dessert.
Back to Central, what makes the company stand out?
We have a team of highly skilled staff, who really care about our customers – meaning we always go out of our way to provide the best, most headache-free service possible.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself we might not know:
I’m a certified personal trainer!
What would the title of your autobiography be?
Don’t look back, you’re not going that way.
Central’s mission is to ‘restore faith in IT’ – tell us more about what this means to you:
There are a lot of IT companies out there that promise the earth but can’t back it up – or throw massive costs at the customer once they’ve signed. Central works with clients to provide the service they want, need, expect, and deserve – and we’re completely transparent from the get-go.
If you’d like to receive more news and updates from the Central team, why not head over to our Twitter page or connect with us on LinkedIn?
To say cyber-attacks can be devastating is an understatement. But when you consider how underfunded charity organisations and their teams are in particular, the realisation that the not-for-profit sector is one of the most targeted is a difficult one to swallow.
Across the UK, there are almost 200,000 registered charities in total – from animal welfare and child protection services, through to cancer relief and mental health support.
And while it should seem unconscionable to pose threat to any of these organisations, the number of perpetrators seeking financial gain from stealing valuable data is evident.
According to the National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Cyber Threat Assessment, valuable funds, supporter details, and information on beneficiaries, remain primary motivations across the board.
So, what can be done to mitigate these growing risks? Here, client director at Central Networks, Mike Dunleavy, offers some crucial insight…
Understand the risks and how to spot them
As with any organisation, employees are the first – and often most powerful – line of defence against cyber-attacks. That’s why developing a detailed understanding of what motivates threat actors, as well as how they might attempt to compromise vulnerabilities within your systems, is crucial.
It shouldn’t just be a tick-box exercise, but something that’s constantly on the agenda from one month to the next. Running regular audits of your tech environment and testing employees on their ability to spot malicious phishing or malware attempts are just some examples to help fortify your charity organisation.
Be mindful though, because trying to adopt a one-size-fits all approach to educating your teams will only result in low engagement. Instead, ensure that training programmes and cyber security insights are specific to individual roles and responsibilities.
By resonating with the day-to-day minutiae of a person’s routine, they can see the true scale of the problem, how exactly it might impact their own work, and what a ‘best practice’ approach to help mitigate any dangers might look like.
Remember that prevention is always better than the cure
Once you’re aware of the risks you face as an organisation, you’ll have a better understanding of how you can bolster lines of defence.
With the increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks, it should go without saying that it’s important to get the basics right. Think watertight password policies, multi-factor authentication, and being vigilant when it comes to opening unknown links and accessing unfamiliar sites.
But if the shift to ‘work from anywhere’ models has taught us anything, it’s that the most effective cyber security strategies run much deeper. No matter where your teams work, a dedicated IT division should have complete control over every device.
This not only enables full visibility over software updates, anti-virus technology, firewalls, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and more, but it also enables more robust access control – ensuring only authorised personnel within your non-profit organisation can gain entry to sensitive data.
From part-time volunteers to full-time employees, it’s important that every colleague knows how to uphold the security stance of the charity right from the very beginning.
Invest in a tough business continuity plan
According to The Charity Commission, one in eight charities (12%) have experienced cyber-crime in the past year – yet just 55% see enhanced security as a fairly or very high priority. The reality is, the benevolent nature of these firms places them at a growing risk.
But let’s say all the right procedures are in place, and a perpetrator still manages to slip through the net undetected. What happens then? To help minimise downtime and reverse the effects of a breach as quickly as possible, having a robust business continuity plan in place is a must.
Whilst the purpose of disaster recovery is to find and repair the root cause of the problem, this strategy helps to keep mission-critical operations running as smoothly as possible on the route to reinstating ‘business as usual’.
As a living document, this should constantly evolve in line with your charity’s evolving needs – with periodical testing ensuring every detail is appropriate, and the person in charge is still capable of carrying our designated tasks.
Such a proactive approach may seem full on, but it will pay dividends if it’s ever needed. And trust us when we say disaster will usually strike when you least expect it.
Turn the tables on attackers
Charity or not, anyone who has fallen victim to a cyber security attack will have at least one thing in common: they never thought it would be them. That’s why it’s better to ask too many questions before handing over sensitive data, rather than asking too few and it ending up in the wrong hands.
Better still, beat attackers to it. While defence is a crucial part of the cyber security equation, it’s only half of the puzzle. Instead of waiting to be notified about a breach, offensive approaches tap into the hacker tradecraft, and utilise human analysts who can think like the enemy to identify any warning signs.
Penetration testing, for example, simulates a real-life attack and shows how the action would unfold, step-by-step – rather than simply scanning for vulnerabilities and handing the insight over in a report. It’s the perfect way for charities to stay agile in today’s constantly evolving cyberwar landscape.
One of our partners, Cyphere, recently spoke about this defence mechanism in greater depth, in our recent Q&A.
Of course, budgets are a significant restraint for any non-profit organisation, but combining as many of these examples as possible will maximise security posture, help protect precious data, and mitigate any financial or reputational damage in the long run.
Keen to continue the conversation? Central Networks has a glowing reputation when it comes to arming companies in this space – from social housing organisations to hospice care services.
If you want to know more about creating a bullet-proof cyber security strategy for your charity, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. We’d be happy to have a no-obligation chat about your requirements.
Welsh housing association, ateb Group, has appointed IT support provider, Central Networks, to support its in-house IT department – seeing the firm provide an outsourced help desk function and strategic consultancy.
Central is managing the social housing provider’s help desk for its 130-strong workforce – receiving circa 1,200 IT requests per year – enabling its digital team to focus on the tactical future of its technology estate.
When commenting on the rationale behind the partnership, Alex Jenkins, executive director for finance at ateb Group, said: “Against a backdrop of IT-resource challenges and economic uncertainty following the Covid-19 pandemic, we knew we needed to further bolster the support offered by our IT department.
“Working with Central means we have complete peace of mind that the daily tickets are being resolved, affording our head of digital systems the time and headspace to focus on the more strategic activities.”
The contract covers first, second, and third-line support services, encompassing everything from general help desk support – troubleshooting and solving users’ tech issues – through to device management and tactical decision-making.
John Blackburn, operations director and social housing specialist at Central, added: “We’re seeing many of our social housing clients requesting outsourced help desk support – as a way to reduce overheads and maximise internal resource.
“We know flexibility is vital too, so it’s available as short-term cover or a permanent part of the contract – bespoke to each organisation’s needs at any given time.”
“The Central team is a great sounding board and critical friend for us here at ateb,” concluded Alex.
“From penetration testing to cloud migration, they advise our digital team on key technology decisions, and also support our recruitment process with interview participation. They are a trusted pair of hands and go above and beyond to ensure we’re getting the most from our investments.”
Central has over 30 years’ experience within the IT and housing sectors – working with providers across the country, including Bron Afon, Eastlight Community Homes, Horton Housing, and Ongo Homes, to name a few.
Established following the merger of two housing associations — City South and Eastlands Homes — the newly-formed One Manchester found itself with a complex network of connectivity solutions, which were not only inefficient but unnecessarily expensive.
Here at Central, people are at the heart of the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of everything we do.
We started out on our IT journey back in 1991, and our mission and ethos haven’t changed. We’re a family-run firm that pride ourselves on our integrity, honesty, and objectivity – and we make IT stress free by keeping it as simple as possible.
But it’s our people who make this all possible. Get to know them more in our staff spotlight.
Name: John Dillnutt
Job title: Purchasing Manager
Department: Purchasing
Sum up your role at Central in one sentence:
Varied – no two days are the same, and my knowledge and expertise are always at the disposal of the Central team and customers alike, whenever they need it.
What three words would your colleagues use to describe you?
I’d like to think they’d say helpful, thorough, and professional.
And what do you enjoy most about your job?
Providing an excellent service for Central colleagues and our customers – and showing just how stress-free IT can be, with the right support in place.
Check your phone, what was the last emoji you sent?
😊 – a smiley face. It’s very versatile!
Who was or is your biggest inspiration?
Stephen Hawking – he never let his health issues get in the way of his success. He achieved great things, lived life to the full, and had a wicked sense of humour – just look at The Big Bang Theory and The Simpsons!
You’re hosting a three-course dinner party, what’s on the menu?
For starters, it would be scallops on a bed of crushed, minted peas, then a huge mixed grill for main (veggies beware!), and a homemade apple pie with ice cream for dessert.
Back to Central, what makes the company stand out?
Here at Central, we offer a friendly approach to put our clients at ease, in what can often be a daunting topic. We keep it simple and fuss-free, and get under the skin of organisations to provide a tailor-made package of products and services that meets their exact needs.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself we might not know:
I was lucky enough to have been chosen by the Football Association (FA) to officiate on a round of 16 game in the FA Vase back in 2018 – Stockton Town FC vs Stourport Swifts FC.
What would the title of your autobiography be?
‘Things Happen for A Reason – They Make You the Person You Are!’
Central’s mission is to ‘restore faith in IT’ – tell us more about what this means to you:
For me, it centres around the word ‘trust’. IT is such a substantial outlay for all organisations, and there needs to be confidence that an MSP can provide the most suitable solution for their circumstances.
Central have seen the full digital transformation from on-prem to cloud over its 30 years of operation. This speaks volumes – not only highlighting that we understand the industry inside out, but also showing how we have nurtured many clients through their IT journeys over the years.
If you’d like to receive more news and updates from the Central team, why not head over to our Twitter page or connect with us on LinkedIn?
As technology continues to advance at pace, we’re seeing what were once pinnacles of innovation become completely redundant – and often, seemingly overnight.
The most recent part of the tech stack to be trumped, legacy phone systems are slowly but surely being replaced by cloud-based solutions across the globe – with Microsoft Teams dominating this opportunity.
According to a recent Forrester study, SMBs can realise an average £93,000 in savings benefit over three years, and enterprises over £9.3 billion, by integrating calling capabilities into their communication platform.
Yet, with such a relentless volume of information to digest in the tech space, it comes as no surprise that organisational leaders are hesitant to dive straight into adoption.
To this end, the Central team has clubbed together to provide some of the must-know benefits Teams Voice has to offer. Let’s delve deeper…
Answer calls on the go
There are a whole host of ways to use Teams Voice, although most users tend to install the mobile app, enabling them to make and receive calls in any location – rather than be tied to a desk-based handset.
While this may sound invasive, and blur the boundaries between personal and professional for some, the app has an excellent functionality which allows users to set predetermined, active working hours – during which, notifications of any work-related calls are paused.
Secure and reliable support
By extension, Teams Voice is an inherently secure platform, which enforces organisation-wide multi-factor authentication, single sign on, and continued encryption of data – both in transit and at rest. So, even with the increasing sophistication of cyber-attacks, you can rest easy that your business-critical data will remain secure.
Not only this, but Teams Voice also comes with a 99.9% uptime guarantee – backed by a service-level agreement (SLA), load-balancing and in-built redundancy. Because Azure – Microsoft’s cloud technology – is an ultrafast network which spans the entire globe, it’s rare that connections drop out – so you can experience high-quality calls, too.
Scalability and flexibility as required
Because Teams Voice is a cloud-based solution, the infrastructure can be deployed relatively quickly, as well as scaled up or down as required. As a business leader, head of operations, or financial director, the range of investments available allows great flexibility to suit your of-the-moment needs.
For example, organisations can choose between:
Helps to unify communications
While putting all your eggs in one basket can be a cause for concern if a potential issue arises, the ability to access everything in one central location introduces unparalleled benefits for SMEs.
By housing multiple communication and collaboration channels under the Microsoft banner, you can guarantee complete compatibility from one application to the next – in turn, boosting productivity, streamlining operations, and improving the overall customer experience. From managing phone numbers to calling plans, voice routing to auto attendants – everything is available in one place.
Built-in security and compliance
There’s no denying that the cyber security landscape is becoming increasingly volatile, which is why it’s important that infrastructure remains robust, to mitigate the risk of an attack. And that’s another reason why MS Teams Voice is so great for businesses!
With built-in compliance features – including team and organisation-wide multi-factor authentication, single sign-on through Active Directory, and encryption of data in transit and rest – you can rest assured that your organisation’s security posture is truly augmented.
Still need convincing? To learn more about the benefits of Microsoft Teams Voice, and how Central can help manage this secure, reliable, and compliant service on your behalf, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Tracked as CVE-2022-32894, the first vulnerability which the update is set to fix is situated in the iPhone Kernel – the core of the operating system – and could allow an application to execute malicious code with kernel privileges, which grants unauthorised and undetected access to the device.
The second issue patched in iOS 15.6.1 is a flaw in WebKit – the browser engine which powers Safari. Known as CVE-2022-32893, successful exploitation of this vulnerability could allow a threat actor to achieve arbitrary code execution if the target visits a maliciously crafted website. Again, this could provide complete control over a user’s device.
In the most extreme attacks, perpetrators use two or more issues in conjunction to successfully infiltrate protective barriers. And, as has been seen with this example, it’s not uncommon for cyber criminals to break into the device's browser – such as WebKit – as a means to enter the wider operating system and access sensitive personal data.
How do zero-day attacks work?
A zero-day attack occurs when hackers exploit a flaw in security infrastructure before the software developers have the opportunity to address it.
Because the vulnerabilities are not always discovered immediately, they can cause long-lasting effects for individuals and organisations alike – not least due to the fact that the only people who know about the zero-day attack are the perpetrators themselves.
Not only can exploits get sold on the dark web for significant sums of money, but attackers can also decide to sit and wait for the most opportune moment to strike rather than infiltrating a network immediately.
What does this mean for the future of security?
While, naturally, this news has caused concern for individuals and organisations across the globe, Apple’s rapid response to the incident showcases exactly why proactive patch management is the key to creating – and maintaining – more robust security infrastructure.
Because attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and cyber criminals are constantly on the lookout for vulnerabilities to exploit, software developers and IT teams must equally be keeping a sharp eye on any abnormalities that require attention.
But it’s not just up to the professionals to be proactive – users of any affected devices must also be quick to implement necessary updates as and when they become available, to mitigate the consequences of an attack.
There’s no denying that such vulnerabilities will continue to occur – both in Apple products and within other software – but maintaining a proactive approach to patch management and sight over emerging updates will no doubt maximise the security posture of individuals, as well as organisations large and small.
We provide patching services to firms within both the public and private sectors. If you'd like to find out more about how we can help your company, please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the Central team.
We’re always here to help.
Central Networks are a strategic technology partner. Excellent technology is a given, customer service, trust and long-term relationships are what drive our business. We support CEOs, Heads of IT, IT technicians and transformation directors to ensure technology provides an edge to their organisations.
Company No: 02604843
VAT: GB 562 6919 13
