4IT Systems Ltd

ADSL price reductions & speed increases. All products now 8Mb as standard.

01 Aug 2006 09:30 GMT

All Plus Net products are now up to 8Mb as standard (where available). A Home Starter package has now been reduced to just 9.99, Business SDSL prices have also been slashed. Can you really afford NOT to have our broadband?
Click here for pricing.

4IT Welcomes on board it's first e-commerce site "The Haberdashery Store"

20 Jun 2006 09:30 GMT

4IT are proud to welcome on board our first e-commerce web site The Haberdashery Store. The store was created by us, using the OSCommerce open source e-commerce solution, interfacing with the SECPAY secured credit card gateway for processing credit card payments on line in real-time.
If you would like more datails on an e-commerce solution for your business please e-mail us to discuss your requirements.

Microsoft withdraw support for Windows 98/ME.

12 Apr 2006 10:20 GMT

If you still have computers running Windows 98 or Me, be aware that Microsoft is ending both public and technical support for these operating systems in July 2006. That means no more security or other updates, although current support documents will still be available on the Microsoft web site.
If you are still running old machines with these versions of Windows perhaps now is the time to think about either upgrading or replacing them. E-mail us to dicsuss your requirements.

Microsoft release Windows Defender, anti spyware tool.

02 Feb 2006 10:20 GMT

Microsoft have updated and renamed their anti spyware app. The newly named 'Windows Defender' is now available for free download directly from Microsoft.
This release is only for Windows XP Service Pack 2 and Windows Vista.

Microsoft launch 'Windows Live' saftey centre.

09 Jan 2006 10:20 GMT

Microsoft have launched their new Windows Live Safety Centre, a free service designed to ensure the health of your PC.
The web site provides on line scan of your pc for viruses, spyware, registry problems and other pc health related issues. If you believe you have PC Health related issues, an online scan is a good place to start, or why not check your machine monthly?

4IT announce sweeping changes to it's Internet Hosting Packages.

02 Nov 2005 10:20 GMT

We are pleased to announce a major shake up of our internet hosting business. All package prices have been reduced whist web space has been increased (by 500 %) and support for PHP4 is included as standard.
There are price reductions on all additional services, and we can now make available new features and services such as Sub Domains & MYSQL Databases
We feel this significantly increases the quality of service we supply to our customers whilst simultansously cutting prices. Click here for more details.

Serious rise in rogue anti virus & spam utilities/sites on the internet.

15 Oct 2005 12:10 GMT

There has been a rapid increase in the amount of fraudulent (Rogue) anti spyware/virus products & websites on the internet. These products simply do not provide proven, reliable protection or may be prone to ridiculous false positives. Others may use unfair, deceptive, high pressure sales tactics to scare up sales from gullible, confused users. And a few will actually infect your computer with the very thing they are claiming to be protecting you from.
4IT recommend that you do not install any item downloaded from the internet unless it's from a trusted source. You should also make this an office policy.
If you require Spyware / Adware &/or Virus protection, we will be happy to discuss your requirements and recommed reputable & reliable products.
Visit SpywareWarrior for more information.

4IT Join Bluefrog anti-spam fight.

23 Aug 2005 18:00 GMT

In an attempt to fight back against the ever rising time of spam 4IT have joined Bluesecurity's BlueFrog 'Do Not Intrude' anti spam project. The following excerpt from the BlueSecurity website explains how it works.

"The Do Not Intrude Registry takes a simple approach to eliminating spam; Rather than passively filtering spam, the Registry allows you to exercise your right to complain about spam in an automated and safe manner.
Registered users join the Blue Community and install the Blue Frog client on their machines. When spam is sent to the community, Blue Frog clients automatically post complaints by filling contact or purchase forms in the Web sites advertised by spam. The number of complaints posted by the community equals the number of spam messages received.
To avoid receiving complaints, site owners and spammers should clean their mailing lists of e-mail addresses listed in the Registry and stop sending spam to Blue Community members."

For more details visit the BlueSecurity website or check out this BBC news article.

RSS Newsfeed now available.

8 Aug 2005 10:00:00 GMT

4IT Systems News is now available as an RSS newsfeed. You may be asking what RSS is. It stands for Really Simple Syndication, and it`s a way for web site publishers to publish information from their sites. The publisher creates a specially-formatted file on their web site that contains the most recent items (news stories, blog posts, etc.) from the site. This regularly updated file is called a feed. With an RSS reader (or aggregator), a user can subscribe to many feeds and read the new entries all in one place, without having to visiting individual Web sites to find out what`s new.
To View RSS feeds you will need to use an RSS Aggregator (or wait for Internet Explorer 7 which contains RSS functionality). You can download one of these aggregators for free,just enter "RSS Aggregator" into your favortite search engine, or why not try the SharpReader.
To subscribe to our newsfeed copy this link into your RSS Reader: http://www.4-it.co.uk/4it.rss

'Domain Registry of America' Scam Letter Warning

08 Jul 2005 12:45:00 GMT

Some of our customers have reported receiving a domain renewal notice letter from 'Domain Registry of America'. Whilst the actual wording of the letter (when carefully read) is accurate and legal, the design and layout is clearly crafted to fool the unsuspecting reader into believing that their domain is about to expire and that they need to use the provided form to renew it. In reality what they are actually doing is initiating a transfer request to transfer their .com domain to the DRoA.
In our view this type of marketing practice is deceitful and as such we consider this letter to be nothing more than a scam. If you have received one of these letters please disregard it and rest assured that when your domain renewal is actually due we will contact you as per usual.
Please note, this scam is only targeted at .com domains. If you have a .co.uk domain, you will be unaffected.
Click here for an example of the DRoA letter (Adobe PDF format. Please visit Adobe to obtain a suitable reader)

UPDATE
As a security feature, we have now placed a 'Registrar Lock' on all .com domains registered by us on behalf of our clients. This means that any transfer requested received for a .com domain will automatically be refused unless we have first received prior authorisation from the domain owner (i.e. the client).

4IT Website Site Update.

02 Jun 2005 12:45:00 GMT

We have now added both a support and a FAQ (frequently asked questions) area to our web site.
To access these areas, click on the "Products and Services" menu item, then in the drop down menu choose the required option.
Please note that support is only available to 4IT customers.

Plus Net announce free activation on all home broadband products.

30 May 2005 12:45:00 GMT

In keeping with their keen pricing structure Plus Net announce their "You Stay We Pay" promotion providing free activation on all home broadband products. This offers the home user a saving of £58.72 (£50.00 + vat) on initial setup costs, giving you one more reason why you should call us and order broadband now.
Click here for pricing, then click the Plus Net banner at the foot of the page.

4IT Virus Warning : Trojan holds PC files for ransom.

27 May 2005 12:45:00 GMT

A unique new kind of malicious threat which locks up files on a PC then demands money in return for unlocking them has been identified. Please click here for more information. As always, 4IT recommend you keep your machine up to date with the latest security patches by visiting Microsoft Windows Update, you also keep your anti virus / anti spyware programs up to date and, as always, you be vigilant when using the internet.

4-IT in collaboration with CW2000 can now offer 100% subsidised ADSL to Coventry based SMEs.

23 Feb 2005 12:45:00 GMT

CW2000 is a strategic initiative helping small businesses in Coventry and Warwickshire with the use of broadband technologies funded by the European Union.
The "Broadband Access Pilot" enables 4IT together with CW2000 to offer 100% subsidised broadband access for 1 year to SME's within the Coventry area. If you already have broadband installed, we can provide you with a 100% subsidised increase in speed to your next logical package.
The "Broadband Learning Pilot" can provide you and your staff with 100% subsidised training, including LearnDirect, together with a long term loan of a laptop and dedicated additional broadband line.
If you would like more details on either of these schemes please e-mail sales.

4-IT/Plus Net announce a range of ADSL price cuts and bandwidth increases.

22 Feb 2005 12:45:00 GMT

To celebrate the arrival of new 2Mb broadband products, Plus Net have slashed their package prices making broadband more affordable than ever.
Click here for pricing.

4-IT announce a new partnership with Plus Net to offer award winning ADSL & SDSL services.

31 Jan 2005 12:45:00 GMT

In keeping with our ethos of premium services at keen prices, we are delighted to be able to offer the full range of Plus Net ADSL/SDSL home & business packages. Plus Net is an Award winning Internet Service Provider renowned for it's excellent range of products, aggressive pricing structure and first rate support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via a local rate number.
Click here for pricing.

Microsoft produces AntiSpyware tool for free download.

11 Jan 2005 12:45:00 GMT

In response to the increasing problem of Spyware / Adware & other malicious software applications, Microsoft have release a beta version of their new AntiSpyware tool. A free download is available here.
A Microsoft article "How to Protect Your Computer from Spyware and Adware" which provides an overview to the problem is available here.
Currently updates are also free but it is expected that at a later date these will be via a subscription service in much the same way as anti virus updates.
If you are an internet user we recommend you download this tool.We have been trialling it for a number of days and are satisfied with it`s efficiency, speed and stability.
This tool is suitable for both work and home PC`s

4-IT Announce it is to begin the sale & supply of hi-end custom built Media Centre PCs.

15 Nov 2004 11:45:00 GMT

4-IT are to open a new department specialising in the build and sale of custom configured Media Centre PC's (HTPC) based on Microsoft Windows XP Media Centre Edition 2005. Full details will be available on a new purpose built website coming soon.

4-IT Join the Microsoft Partner Program as a registered member.

23 Aug 2004 15:30:00 GMT

In order to maintain the highest standards in the delivery of our software services, 4-IT Systems Ltd is now a registered member of the Microsoft Partner Program. The resources made available to us via this membership allow 4-IT Systems Ltd to continue to give a superior quality service in the delivery of the ever evolving world of Microsoft business software.

Change to T&Cs of business.

27 May 2004 08:55:00 GMT

Due to industry developments, 4-IT Systems Ltd is no longer able to provide credit accounts for the purchase of goods & Internet related services such as domain names, web hosting etc.
All future business involving these items will be undertaken on a cleared funds basis only.
Labour related services including Software Development, Support & Web Development are not affected by this change. These will continue to operate on a stage payment basis commensurate to the quantity of work involved.
These account changes do not apply to government bodies & large Plcs.

Important Virus Warning

27 May 2004 11:45:00 GMT

4-IT have recently been made aware of a new style of e-mail borne virus which is able to evade detection by most popular Ant Virus programs including Symantec & McAfee. The virus achieves this by being delivered inside a password protected .zip or .rar file which you receive as an e-mail attachment. Typically, the e-mail will also contain the password needed to unzip the file and invites the unwary user to extract and run the contents. If the user does this, they then become virus infected. If you do not extract the contents of the .zip or .rar file, you will not get infected.
Although infection by this type of virus is easily avoided, it relies solely upon the user taking the correct course of action which is notoriously difficult to ensure. 4-IT therefore recommend that you bring this issue to the attention of all of your e-mail enabled staff and remind them to never open unexpected attachments received via e-mail unless it`s authenticity can be verified. Since most virus e-mails use a fake "From" address, this can not be used reliably when authenticating an e-mail.

Anti Virus / Anti Spam Service Now Available On E-Mail Accounts

16 Apr 2004 13:45:00 GMT

4-IT announce the availability of both optional Anti Virus & Anti Spam services on all e-mail accounts we provide. Additional yearly costs per e-mail are £15 Anti Spam, £15 Anti Virus, £20 Anti Spam & Anti Virus. (Existing mailboxes can only be upgraded as part of a service renewal). Please note that this service should be used in addition to, and not in replacement of, locally installed Anti Virus software.

New .Name internet domains available

28 Feb 2004 08:45:00 GMT

4-IT announce the availability of the new .Name second level domains. Please see the internet section of the products page for further details.

Third Draft of Web Site Uploaded

08 Feb 2004 09:45:00 GMT

The third draft of the 4-IT web site has been published together with Flash intro. Any problems please report them to webmaster@4it.co.uk

Second Draft of Web Site Uploaded

25 Jan 2004 14:45:00 GMT

The second draft of the 4IT web site has been published. Any problems please report them to webmaster@4it.co.uk

First Draft of Web Site Uploaded

15 Jan 2004 11:45:00 GMT

Initial draft of the 4IT web site has been published. Any problems please report them to webmaster@4it.co.uk

Trojan/Virus Warning

01 Jan 2004 09:45:00 GMT

4IT has recently noticed an increase in e-mail borne viruses, worms & trojans.
Due to the extremely deceptive nature of the carrier e-mails we have taken the unusual step of placing this warning notice on a our news board. If you receive unknown or unexpected mail from various sources please be vigilant. Do not open any attachments and do not be fooled by e-mails claiming to be from Microsoft and offering update patches. Microsoft does NOT issue updates this way. Do not give out bank details over e-mail even if the e-mail appears to be from your bank or other legitimate source. As always, we recommend all our customers have up-to-date virus software and regularly update both the virus definitions & windows itself. If you have to update your definitions manually, please do so each and every week. If you would like further information on virus protection & security issues please call us or e-mail sales@4it.co.uk.