Category Archives: SilverDane Corporate

SilverDane Archive 4.5 Coming Soon

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We have been busy, the propellers have been spinning and the results are coming to you soon. Every component of the SD Archive suite of products has been updated, and significant changes have been made to the database metadata. This is a full suite release of SD Archive.

Introducing…

SD Archive 4.5 makes a big leap forward with what’s under the hood. The new engine includes:

•    Improved attachment handling
•    Improved search speeds
•    Improved handling of shared folders
•    Improved memory handling
•    Improved attachment check functionality
•    Improved error handling
•    Significant performance enhancements
•    Automatic handling of user moves within GroupWise Post Offices

We have also included a list of bug fixes which will be detailed in the release notes.
Look out for the release announcement coming soon, and please feel free to contact us should you require any assistance with your upgrades. Visit www.silverdane.com for contact details.

What is Cloud Computing?

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Do you check your email online? Share files via the web? Pay off your credit card using online banking or download music? Then you are already using cloud computing services, probably more often than you even realise.

Cloud computing is when hardware and/or software infrastructure and services are made available remotely and connected via a network, which is usually the Internet.

Using the cloud symbol to represent the Internet is not a new idea and dates back almost 20 years. The more recent term cloud computing refers to sketches of clouds to represent networks in computing and communication diagrams.

How does cloud computing work?

Cloud computing eliminates, or at a minimum reduces the time and money an individual or company needs to invest in infrastructure and/or software. Instead of buying a new computer and software license for each new employee, a company can pay a subscription fee and buy the rights to access an Internet-based service, where the company can store its files on remote servers and access any programs it needs. You can store as much or as little as you like in the cloud.

Cloud computing is based on three main models:-

  • Infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) is the most basic of cloud models and provides mostly virtual servers on a pay-as-you-go basis. Other IaaS offerings include virtual machine image libraries, file-based storage, firewalls, IP addresses and software bundles.
  • Platform-as-a-service (PaaS) providers offer a computing platform including an operating system, programming language interpreter and web server which is sometimes scalable, allowing application developers to create customised software without the outlay involved in buying their own hardware and software.
  • Software-as-a-service (SaaS) providers offer access to their software online with a login, for example Google Mail or Dropbox. It is usually priced per user and is scalable so it can increase with demand without disruption to subscribers.

Who uses the cloud?

Cloud computing is available for both personal and business use. A Forrester Research study found 40 per cent of small businesses rated cloud services as a high priority for their business. 25 per cent of medium-sized businesses also thought cloud computing was very important for their operations.

You can access the cloud through three different models; the public, private or hybrid clouds. The public cloud is available to the general public and is either free or sold on a pay-per-use model, for example Google and Microsoft can offer access via the Internet only. The private cloud is available to individual companies who prefer to manage their own data rather than hand it over to a third party. Management of the private cloud can be done internally or outsourced and it can be hosted in-house or externally. The hybrid cloud is a combination of two or more clouds and requires cooperation between in-house and cloud infrastructure.

Why choose the cloud?

There are plenty of reasons why companies are choosing to use cloud-based applications and/or store their data in the cloud. Here are just a few of them:-

  • Cloud computing reduces the workload of in-house IT staff and the cost of buying infrastructure and maintaining it
  • Low upfront costs and pay-per-use means you don’t pay for more than you need
  • Email archived in the cloud is backed up automatically
  • Cloud services can be accessed from anywhere in the world with just an Internet connection
  • Cloud computing is scalable, so as your storage needs grow, it grows with you

SilverDane can archive your enterprise email in the cloud. For more information, visit www.silverdane.com

Top 4 reasons why you should archive your email

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Your company is growing exponentially, the volume of emails is quickly getting out of control and your system has become frustratingly slow. You’ve been told that email archiving is the answer to your company’s email woes. But what is it? And more importantly, why do I need it?

An email archive is a software program that stores your company’s emails either on an onsite server or in the cloud. There are plenty of reasons why email archiving is a good idea. This is my top 4:

Compliance

Compliance is the most important reason for archiving your company’s email. You wouldn’t want to risk a major financial impact to your company just because you can’t produce a vital email in a court case.

There are reportedly more than 10,000 compliance regulations around the world and there is a very high chance that your company will come under the jurisdiction of at least one of them. If your company is a multinational then it is likely you will have to comply with more than one law dictating what documents should be stored and for how long. An email archiving system allows you to set expiry dates on stored emails so you can balance compliance with not storing emails forever and using up valuable storage space.

If your company doesn’t archive its emails and you aren’t timely or can’t produce the necessary documents in a discovery request, you could be accused of spoliation and risk losing the case. You can read more about spoliation in my previous blog Spoliation will spoil your chances of winning your case.

Storage Space

If your enterprise is like most others, then your organisation is likely to have an insatiable appetite for more data storage space. The amount of storage space required by organisations has soared as we now operate almost exclusively in the digital world.

A good email archiving system will be scalable, saving your organisation storage space and therefore money. The size of the mail is reduced and just one copy of each email is saved. For example, if you send an email to 200 employees, not all 200 copies will be archived. You can learn more about the difference between archiving and email backup in my previous blog The lowdown on email backup vs archiving.

Fast searches

If you find yourself the recipient of an eDiscovery request, time is of the essence. It is now unacceptable in the eyes of a court to take months, or even years, to produce emails that support your case. If you receive an eDiscovery request, expect to be given just weeks, or possibly even days, to produce your evidence. Without a searchable email archiving system already in place, this request will likely be impossible to meet, not to mention it could be financially crippling, with scores of emails and documents that are potentially searchable.

You can read more about eDiscovery, your obligations and the latest trends at http://source.silverdane.com/

Data Management and Security

It’s estimated a quarter of companies see their data grow by one quarter each year. This can create a host of problems, from precious storage space being used up to quotas being enforced, the system slowing down and data and emails going missing.

An email archiving system can help ease the pain of an overburdened system and eliminate the need for data quotas, which reduces the chance of an important email being deleted.

When an employee leaves the company, their email account is closed and possibly their email history – your company’s data – disappears when they leave. But what if you need to find an email an ex-employee sent years ago? If you have a good email archiving system, it will still be safely stored with your company’s documents.

Archiving also means your company’s electronically stored information (ESI) is held in a central place, rather than across multiple computers and devices. It can be locked down so only a few staff are able to view the archived data, giving you peace of mind that your company’s information won’t fall into the wrong hands.

SilverDane’s flagship product SD Archive helps enterprises save valuable storage space and ensures your data is safe and you are compliant. Visit www.silverdane.com for more information.

 

Spoliation will spoil your chances of winning your case

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Spoliation is not what happens when you leave milk out of the refrigerator too long. It’s also not what happens when you drop spaghetti sauce down your favourite white top. In simple terms, spoliation is the act of spoiling or damaging something. In a legal sense, it is the destruction, alteration or withholding of evidence.

I’m sure you’re a good law-abiding citizen who would never dream of deliberately making data ‘disappear’. But what if a critical email did go missing accidentally and it was needed as evidence? Surely the judge wouldn’t throw the book at you for losing one email? Wrong. In most cases, judges aren’t impressed when data goes missing – accidentally or deliberately – and probably won’t let you off with just a slap on the wrist.

So why won’t a judge show you the benefit of the doubt if you accidentally delete ESI (Electronically Stored Information)? Because it deprives your opponent of their best chance to win the case. Under the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) in the USA, companies are expected to be in complete control of their data and make it available for search in an eDiscovery request within weeks or even days. If your ESI storage system resembles a teenager’s bedroom when you face an eDiscovery request, expect the judge to show you little tolerance and possibly even rule in favour of your opponent before the trial has really begun.

Here’s just one example of a case where one party has spoliated evidence through incompetence rather than deliberately deleting ESI. In Naaco Materials v Lilly Group, The magistrate ruled Lilly Group was in breach of its duty to preserve evidence. The plaintiff’s technical expert found that Lilly had made no effort to preserve evidence; it didn’t inform employees of the legal hold, didn’t suspend its routine destruction of data and waited months before searching servers for ESI relevant to the case. You can read more case examples of spoliation here and here.

Your best chance to avoid being accused of spoliation is being prepared. If you wait until you receive an eDiscovery request before you track down and organise your ESI, you have left it too late. Be prepared with a document retention policy. The first thing you should do is familiarise yourself with your obligations regarding data storage under your respective local, state and federal laws. Armed with this information, you can then create a policy on what data should be stored, how long it needs to be stored and most importantly, where you data will be stored. To avoid being accused of spoliation, your scheduled deletion of data should be suspended when the threat of litigation is reasonably foreseeable.

An accusation of spoliation will likely see your data come under even greater scrutiny and could spoil your chance of winning the case. Make sure you have a solid document retention policy in place and your data is quickly accessible to avoid getting on the wrong side of the law.

Sources:
http://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/view/19254/comment-accidental-data-deletion-still-considered-spoliation/
http://www.sbnonline.com/2011/10/how-to-ensure-your-electronic-information-will-be-ready-for-litigation/?full=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spoliation_of_evidence

How Canada’s new Anti-Spam Act could affect your email marketing

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Businesses operating in Canada are set to come under one of the toughest anti-spam laws the world has ever seen. While Canada was dragging the chain when it came to introducing anti-spam legislation, it is now making up for lost time. Ottawa’s new law – expected to be operational early this year – has severe fines for violations and is viewed by some as too tough.

Known as CASL, the new law aims to crack down on spammers and mailing list companies but in doing so, tightly regulates the way businesses can market to prospective customers via email and online.

In a nutshell, CASL requires a business to obtain consent from the recipient before it sends out commercial electronic messages (CEMs). It isn’t limited to email; consent must be given for any electronic message, which could also include messages sent via social media, text messaging, instant messaging, sound or video. If your business operates outside of Canada, you shouldn’t assume the Anti-Spam Act doesn’t apply to you. If a computer system within Canada is used to send, receive or even route the message, then the law could also apply to you.

It is in obtaining consent before sending an electronic message where the Canadian Anti-Spam Act differs from its American equivalent. The United States’ CAN-SPAM Act requires that recipients are given an opt-out option from commercial messages but under CASL, recipients must opt-in to receive electronic messages.

The fines for violating the Anti-Spam Act are hefty. The maximum penalty per violation for an individual is CAD1,000,000 and $10,000,000 for corporations. With potentially crippling fines waiting in the wings for violators, how can you ensure your company is compliant?

The first thing is to be aware of which messages require consent before they are sent. There are a few exceptions, which include personal relationships or when the company is providing requested information. Consent can usually be implied if there is an existing business arrangement of two years or more, or if an email address has been disclosed in the course of business. You can read more about exceptions to CASL here.

If your electronic message doesn’t fall under an exception category, then you will need to obtain consent before sending it. The message should also include an unsubscribe mechanism. To ensure compliance, your company should establish procedures to obtain consent for electronic messages and educate staff on the Anti-Spam Act. The most important thing to remember before you press ‘send’ is the onus is on your company to prove you received consent.

Do you operate a business in Canada? How do you think the Anti-Spam Act will affect the way you market electronically? Please contribute to the conversation below.

Sources:

http://www.bennettjones.com/Publications/Updates/CanadasAntiSpamLegislation-CastingaWideNet/
http://www.canadianlawyermag.com/3977/anti-spam-law-draws-backlash.html
http://memeburn.com/2011/12/three-2011-developments-that-changed-your-inbox-forever/
http://www.mondaq.com/canada/x/155664/Privacy/Preparing+For+Canadas+New+AntiSpam+And+Online+Fraud+Act
http://business.ftc.gov/documents/bus61-can-spam-act-compliance-guide-business

Post Brainshare Exhilaration

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Oh my goodness!

When we signed up to exhibit at Novell’s Brainshare 2011, we did not expect an event with so much excitement about Novell and their new direction under Attachmate.

It has been a week now since we got back, and we are still reeling from both the event and the aftermath (and all of the incredible travel disasters that occurred on the way but that is a completely different blog!)

The people were amazing. With over 2000 people in attendance the atmosphere was beyond what we anticipated. We had so many fantastic people visit our booth from all over the world, both at the Oktoberfest theme party and during the week. I can’t recall a Brainshare (and I have been at more than I care to admit) where I have worked so hard and seen so many people come past our booth. It was great to catch up with some of our existing customers from afar as well as meet a host of potential new ones.

While our SD MeetMe product was very much a hot topic, Adrian, Henrik and I were very much left with the impression that controlling risk, Compliance and email Archiving are definitely the topics of the hour, and the interest we had from attendees regarding SD Archive for archiving, retention, eDiscovery and restoration of GroupWise accounts was fantastic to see.

The technology showcase and lab was hot with excitement over the new products that Novell had on offer and the number of partners who participated in the event. Attachmate have invested heavily in the Novell teams, both on the product side and on the customer side and this was very evident. So if you haven’t yet had a visit from Novell people who are re:focused on their customers- expect one.

Lots of work has been done with GroupWise 2012 and its impending release was cause for much talk and excitement around Brainshare. We gained a unique opportunity to chat in depth with the Collaboration team and the magic that they have worked with GroupWise and Vibe is going to make those two products unstoppable.

GroupWise 2012 users can expect dramatic improvements to mobility (particularly on Apple’s iPad and iPhone – which are very near and dear to my own heart) as well as a very sexy new Web Access interface. Integrations with Vibe make anyone looking at Microsoft’s SharePoint do a double take; and the wondrous inclusion of Novell’s Data Synchroniser virtually eliminates any third party integration arguments people have thrown at Novell in the past.

If you have recently migrated away from GroupWise- you should be kicking yourself, and if you haven’t but are thinking migration is a foregone conclusion, you might want to revisit those business reasons and have another look before you make a costly mistake.

Novell is back in the house! See you at Brainshare in 2012!

Adrian (VP Bus Dev & Marketing), Taryn (CEO) and Henrik (BDE) at the Oktoberfest Theme Party- Brainshare 2011

Dissecting computers: A geek in the making

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Ritesh Harry

Developer Extraordinaire

My name is Ritesh Harry born and raised in Zimbabwe. Lived there all my life until 3 years ago when I moved to Australia to further my education and pursue a career in the IT industry. I am studying a degree in Information Technology majoring in Networking and Security which I will complete at the end of the year. My role at SilverDane is the Customer Support Representative (CSR).

1.       What is your earliest IT memory?
Opening up a really old working computer and pulling things out of it. I was really young and had no idea what I was doing. I think I got an electric shock as well!

2.       What gadget or software can’t you live without?
Probably my laptop.

3.       Do you prefer Mac or PC?
Mac, but they are too expensive!

4.       What were you doing before you joined SilverDane?
Studying and working part time at Nando’s!

5.       If you weren’t working in IT, what would you do?
Work as a car mechanic.

6.       What is something quirky about you?
I do crazy things out of the blue and people think I’m crazy, which is okay I guess since they end up laughing!

7.       What is your idea of fun?
Having a BBQ with friends and a lot of cold beers!

8.       What is your pet hate?
People who complain about petty issues/problems they have when there are other people with much more greater problems than them.

9.       What is the worst gift you have ever received?
A really, I mean really, ugly t-shirt!

10.   What nationality are you and what do you love about your homeland?
I am Indian but since I was born in Africa I would say I am African. I love the wildlife and nature.

11.   If you could change passports, what nationality would you choose and why?
I would change it to any first world country nationality then I could travel around the world without having to go through so many procedures!

12.   If you could shout anyone to dinner, who would it be and why?
Anyone that I know simply because I am a good guy.

13.   If you could holiday anywhere, where would you go?
Some beautiful island, located anywhere would be fine as long as there is good weather!

Zimbabweans descend on SilverDane

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Bhavesh Gopal

Customer Support Representative Extraordinaire

We have a thing for hiring Zimbabweans at SilverDane. Bhavesh Gopal is our latest Zimbabwean recruit and joins the team as a Customer Support Representative. Here is his Top 13.

1.       What is your earliest IT memory?
 Playing games on my cousin’s Commodore computer, which used 5 1/4″ floppies. Fun times 

2.       What gadget or software can’t you live without?
As I have recently learnt after it was stolen, my laptop.

3.       Do you prefer Mac or PC
Haven’t had a chance to fully experience MAC, so would have to say PC 

4.       What were you doing before you joined SilverDane?
Studying my Bachelors degree in IT

5.       If you weren’t working in IT, what would you do?
 If not in IT I would be in finance, I also have a Diploma in Accounting and have been in business for 10 years

6.       What is something quirky about you?
I can say I’ve jumped off a bridge…..

7.       What is your idea of fun?
Getting together with friends

8.       What is your pet hate?
My pet hate is being taken advantage of

9.       What is the worst gift you have ever received?
Don’t know, just appreciate all the gifts I’ve been given

10.   What nationality are you and what do you love about your homeland?
Zimbabwean, love the life style and all my friends

11.   If you could change passports, what nationality would you choose and why?
Well….right now I would say Australian, have come to like the place since I got here, but have always wondered what it would be like to have an American passport (American Dream)

12.   If you could shout anyone to dinner, who would it be and why?
Wish I could shout all my friends. The more the merrier.

13.   If you could holiday anywhere, where would you go?
Well I think I would really like to go on a Caribbean ship cruise, that way I get to visit more places and enjoy the luxury of the cruise.

Ice castles & polar bears- the highlights of being Canadian

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Meet Mat Langner, our newest Java Software Engineer. When he’s not working, he’s riding his pet polar bear… or so he says. Check out his Top 13.

1.       What is your earliest IT memory?
Watching thick white plumes of smoke rise out of my MacIntosh SE as the screen slowly faded away. I believe it was an omen from the Gods of IT.

2.       What gadget or software can’t you live without?
I, like the rest of humanity, owe a great debt of gratitude to the immortal Microsoft Excel.

3.       Do you prefer Mac or PC?
 Neither. I only prefer computers that let me digitize myself into them.

4.       What were you doing before you joined SilverDane?
 Drifting through limbo….

5.       If you weren’t working in IT, what would you do?
 Psychic Assassin.

6.       What is something quirky about you?
 I work with a man who enjoys bubble baths.

7.       What is your idea of fun?
 Weaving baskets for local farmer’s markets.

8.       What is your pet hate?
 Celebrities with political opinions. 

9.       What is the worst gift you have ever received?
 A handful of garbage.

10.   What nationality are you and what do you love about your homeland?
Canadian…..EH! I love living inside my giant ice castle and riding my polar bear across the arctic wastes of Alberta.
 
11.   If you could change passports, what nationality would you choose and why?
 Jamaican…..So I could be a Rastafarian.

12.   If you could shout anyone to dinner, who would it be and why?
I’d invite three people….Rambo, Jean Luc Picard, and Heather Graham…..for obvious reasons.

13.   If you could holiday anywhere, where would you go?
Mars.

Join us at Brainshare 2011

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Haven’t got your ticket for BrainShare 2011? Feeling left out?
 
We can help with a free pass to giveaway!
 
Just ‘like’ our Facebook page to be in the running- it’s that simple! Check out www.facebook.com/silverdane
 
Entries close Thursday October 6 and the winner will be announced on Friday October 7. The lucky winner can collect their pass at registration.
 
BrainShare will be held in Salt Lake City,UT, from October 10-14.
 
 
Disclaimer:
This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook.
Information provided in this promotion will remain the property of SilverDane Corporation and not Facebook.
The prize includes a BrainShare entry pass only and SilverDane Corporation will not be responsible for any other costs involved in attending BrainShare.

Wanted: IT Guru with Lame Sweater

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I see a theme with our new staff- they all seem to have a lame sweater story. Introducing our latest Premium Systems Engineer Jake Davis and his Top 13…

 
1. What is your earliest IT memory?
We got our first computer when I was in high school, an IBM 486!  I read the entire manual the first week we had it and learned about a great utility called “Double Space” which would double the space you had left on your computer. Awesome! What I did not read is that it would compress the entire drive and not make it accessible after rebooting. My mom was not happy.

2.       What gadget or software can’t you live without?
 My iPhone runs my life….