SBC MAY 2006 MEETING
For our May meeting, we
revisited the smart surroundings of Guildford College’s
Park Room, where we held our November 2005 meeting.
The evening began as usual with the structured networking
session chaired by Paul Cawthorne, running from around
6.15 until 7pm.
In at the deep end!
Starting the evening in this way has two great advantages
compared with many other networking events I have attended.
It allows our members to arrive at any time between
six and seven o’clock without missing the ‘main
event’, and choose whether to join in with Paul’s
informal group or just catch up with others as they
wander in. Secondly it offers our guests a great opportunity
to get stuck in and meet each other in a structured
networking setting, rather than standing there wondering
who they should talk to first!
So, thanks again to Paul for running
the networking, and to Martin Evans who handles the
badges and sign-ins for us – both of whom have
to turn up early to every meeting, and are doing a great
job for the benefit of the Club.
Getting to grips with IT…
After an excellent buffet (and we do go on about the
food, but it’s an essential part of any SBC meeting!)
we were treated to a two-part presentation on Tips,
Tricks and Troubleshooting for your PC, with
great audience participation throughout.
WARNING: Your PC is under attack…
SBC Member Brian Finley of Computer
Workbench, Guildford (www.cwbg.co.uk)
began with a run-through of hardware and virus issues.
Having scared us with talk of hijackers spyware, adware,
phishing and pharming – all the nightmares those
‘intelligent weirdos and criminals’ out
there are inflicting on us – he explained how
to recognise the symptoms, cure the problem, and protect
yourself from re-infection. Thanks, Doctor Brian…
He also reminded us that one crucial failing we all
have is not backing up our data, so that in the event
of a disaster, we don’t lose our entire business.
Go and do it now, everybody – and don’t
let the kids play on your business PC!
Technology should make life easier
– shouldn’t it?
Committee Member Paul Cawthorne, of
P & G Communications, Sutton (www.pandg.co.uk)
was next up, with a look at communications software,
and productivity-boosting applications for business.
Paul also took us through cutting edge new hardware
– VOIP phones for free calls worldwide, wireless
networks, 3G internet cards for surfing on the move,
and using your household electrical wiring as a data
network – it’s all clever stuff!
It’s easy – when
you know how
Thanks to our two experts and a wealth of shared knowledge
in the room, everybody came away with a greater awareness
of the perils and potential of the new generation of
technology, which is changing how we all do business
in the twenty-first century.
After the event, the Beverage Circle
adjourned to the nearby King’s Head, remembering
not to leave our cars in the College car park where
they had been locked in on a previous occasion!
Thanks to Peter
Searight of The Remarkable Studio
for the photographs here.
You can contact Peter as follows:
Tel: 01428 725067
Email: peter@TheRemarkableStudio.com
Website: www.TheRemarkableStudio.com
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