Warning: Solar Storm

The largest storm of its kind for 5 years is currently bombarding the Earth's magnetic field with charged particles from the Sun and will continue to do so until 03:00 tomorrow.

The good news is the Northern Lights may be visible at lower latitudes.  The bad news is that these events, known as solar "eruptions", could interfere with technology: satellites, electrical grids and communications systems.  In 1972, a geomagnetic storm provoked by a solar flare knocked out long-distance telephone communication across the US state of Illinois.

This “eruption” was triggered by a pair of solar flares - the largest of their kind - earlier this week.  In the UK, the best chance to see them will be on Thursday night, the British Geological Survey says. So keep your eyes peeled!

Just Google It!

It is thought that around 40% of small firms in Wales have no website. On average, only 39% of companies in the UK have access to sell goods and services online. 


At a free conference in Cardiff this week, Dan Cobley, Google UK Managing Director, addressed almost 400 delegates as he launched a new initiative designed to highlight the importance of the internet to Welsh businesses. Business Minister Edwina Hart said the Welsh government was working with the internet company to help small businesses "access new markets". 


Google UK plans to train digital agencies across Wales to deliver training and workshops once the initial three month campaign has ended. Its travelling "Juice Bar" will offer free one-on-one digital health checks and workshops, tutorials and hands-on advice to small business owners, including how to acquire a web presence or improve the one they already have. 


The Cardiff event will be followed by others in Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport, Swansea and Wrexham.  


Other partners involved include the Institute of Directors in Wales and South Wales Chamber of Commerce.


Ask Adodo if you are interested in help building or improving your website. We can also help you with social media management and building mobile applications, remember, just ask adodo!

Superfast Broadband for Nottingham?

Business leaders in Nottingham are optimistic about the possibility of superfast broadband along the cities new tram links.

Nottingham City Council has applied for £8m of government money to help pay for the work, that would involve superfast broadband cables being installed along the same route as two new tram lines.  It would then be retrospectively connected to the existing network.  It is claimed it would give the city's businesses a competitive edge in the digital age.

Business leaders were informed of the plans at the launch of the Councils economic growth plan for Nottingham, and many believe it would help them compete globally.

Other cities are also bidding for the grant, with the winners being announced in the budget announcement next month.

Got a business broadband query?  Simple, Ask Adodo! 
0115 9701471 | solutions@adodo.co.uk | Click here to find out about our BB services

Quote for the Week!

"Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose."


Bill Gates


Starting the week with a Telecoms Query?  Simple, Ask Adodo! 
0115 9701471 | solutions@adodo.co.uk 

£2.1m Broadband Pledge from NCC

Nottinghamshire County Council is “chipping in” to the central government funding pledge to improve the county’s broadband access.

In August, the Government provisionally allocated £4.25m to Nottinghamshire County Council to improve broadband infrastructure county wide.  However with 23.7% of properties in Nottinghamshire having no or limited broadband access, the county council has decided to invest a further £2.1m.

Councillor Keith Girling, deputy cabinet member for culture and community, said: "At the moment we are losing businesses to South Yorkshire because broadband is better for them there.

"We've got to look at it sensibly. Rural areas depend on good broadband and it is up to us to make it happen."

But the county council said it needed Nottinghamshire's district and borough councils to match the funding to ensure the "vital" broadband improvements. Furthermore, the county council is seeking £8.5m from whichever telecommunications operator is appointed to carry out the improvements.  Work is not expected to start until 2013.

Got a question about broadband connectivity? Ask the experts, Ask Adodo 

Quote of the Week!

"Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome."

Booker T. Washington 

Are You Ready for an IT Failure?

A total 1,750 IT bosses were questioned in a report by IT group EMC that suggests almost three-quarters of firms and public sector organisations across nine European countries may not fully recover their computer systems or data after an IT failure.

The survey that covered Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Russia as well as the UK claimed 74% were "not very confident" they could fully restore their networks.  Furthermore, 54% admitted they had lost data or suffered systems downtime in the past 12 months.

Its report found that the most common cause of data loss and downtime was hardware failure, followed by power outage and software malfunction. 

EMC said firms needed to put more focus on backup and recovery systems.  Adodo wholeheartedly concurs!  Find out more about Adodo's Disaster Recovery Solutions.

Mobile Customer Service is Better

New Ofcom research reveals that consumers are more satisfied with their mobile phone provider than they are with landline or broadband suppliers.

In September the communication regulators interviewed 3,000 people, quizzing them on recent contact from their providers and the levels of service that they received.   The results showed that whilst service ratings for landlines had improved with BT, Sky and Talk Talk since 2009, on average, these satisfaction levels were still below those for mobile services.

It seems broadband speeds are still a major bone of contention and the underlying reason for many customer complaints.  Consumers having to contact their providers to change the deals that they signed up for proved the most common gripe from dissatisfied customers.

The telecommunication industry gets a lot of bad press for poor service, overcomplicated tariffs and for tying customers into long term contracts.  However, there are still some good guys out there that put a strong emphasis on customer service, simple tariffs and 30 days rolling contracts.  If you have a telecoms query then please feel free to Ask Adodo.

Contact Lenses of the future?

It seems Scientists are a step closer to new technology that, if approved, could allow users to read floating texts and emails right in front of their eyes, Terminator-style.

After a series of successful animal trials, these futuristic contact lenses could be a lot closer than we think. Researchers at Washington University who are working on the device say early tests show it is safe and feasible.

There are still wrinkles to iron out, like finding a good power source. As currently, their crude prototype device can only work if it is within centimetres of the wireless battery.

Initial safety tests in rabbits have gone well, with no obvious adverse effects, which has given the researchers renewed faith about the device's possibilities.  They envisage hundreds more pixels could be embedded in the flexible lens to produce complex holographic images.  For example, drivers could wear them to see journey directions or their vehicle's speed projected onto the windscreen.

The researchers in Washington are not the only team working on this kind of technology. Swiss company, Sensimed have already brought to market, a smart contact lens that uses inbuilt computer technology to monitor pressure inside the eye to keep tabs on the eye condition glaucoma.

Adodo are big believers in New Technology but are we ready for this kind of technology? Are we not 'hooked up' to enough technology already? Or is this just what we have been waiting for? Could this improve efficiency across your company?

Quote for the Week!

"The measure of success is not whether you have a tough problem to deal with, but whether it is the same problem you had last year."


John Foster Dulles 


Starting the week with a Telecoms Query?  Simple, Ask Adodo! 
0115 9701471 | solutions@adodo.co.uk