Merry Christmas! We hope you are keeping well and are looking forward to a well earned break over the holidays. Please find below our opening hours over the Christmas period.

We will be available for emergency assistance via servicedesk@bowe.co.uk on select days and times only, as detailed below:

  • Friday, 22nd Dec – 10.00am – 4.00pm
  • Monday, 25th Dec (Bank holiday) – Closed
  • Tuesday, 26th Dec (Bank holiday) – Closed
  • Wednesday, 27th Dec – 10.00am – 4.00pm
  • Thursday, 28th Dec – 10.00am – 4.00pm
  • Friday, 29th Dec – 10.00am – 4.00pm
  • Monday, 1st Jan (Bank holiday) – Closed
  • Tuesday, 2nd Jan – Normal hours resume

 We hope you have a lovely Christmas from everyone at Bowe Digital Ltd!

Kind regards,

Fraud is the most commonly experienced crime in the UK which costs the UK many billions of pounds every year. The impact of fraud and related crime can be devastating for businesses, but today we will let you know about the most common fraud and scams we see so you can avoid them much easier.

We will talk about phishing a lot below so to start we will define what phishing is.

What is Phishing?

Phishing is the fraudulent practice of sending emails or other messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers or other valuable information.

Lets take a look at the top scams affecting companies below.

Change of bank details scam

This scam can start out by either your own account being phished or a supplier / customer of yours being phished which gives the scammer visibility into your email conversations.

Scammers can use phishing emails to pilfer login information and if the recipient falls for it, that can give the scammer a way in to monitor your emails by taking control of a user account.  Once they do that, they may watch for an invoice being received or sent.  Then they will spoof the email address of the sending company and create an identical invoice but with the scammers “new bank details” on it.

If you receive any change of bank details or you are paying an account for the first time, always telephone your customer / supplier using the telephone number you have for them and not the telephone number on the email to double check and confirm the bank details with them.  This will prevent you from paying an opportunist scammer who has recently intercepted and changed bank details and other information.  It only takes a few minutes but it can save you thousands of pounds!

Unpaid Invoice / Confirm bank details scam

It’s quite common to get an email supposedly from Paypal or other financial institutions to say there is a problem with your account and you risk your account being closed. A typical good example of this is an amazon or netflix email saying they will close your account if you don’t confirm your bank details. If you ever get this type of email and struggle to tell if its real, just close the email and go to the website manually via your browser.  Never click links on these type of emails as it will likely take you to the fraudulent website which looks identical to the official website.

Gift card scam

We saw lots of this scam on the internet at Christmas. It is especially prevalent at that time of year as it makes it easier for scammers to execute. The scam basically starts with someone imitating a CEO or Managing Director on services like WhatsApp and they send a message to one of the employees who have their phone number on the company website.  The scammer will start up a conversation asking the employee to go to the shop and buy some popular gift cards like Google Play or Apple gift cards to give to the employees as presents for all their hard work. The scammer will then make an excuse and ask the codes to be emailed to him/her as they would not be around to collect them. Once the scammer has the codes they can sell them online in exchange for real cash.

Social engineering scams

Employees should always be wary when taking calls and never assume the person on the end of the phone is who they say they are unless of course they have spoken to them previously and know them.
Scammers can trick staff into handing over confidential or sensitive information, such as passwords or bank information. It often starts with a phishing email, social media contact, or a phone call that seems to come from a trusted source, such as a supervisor or other senior employee, but creates urgency or fear. Scammers may ask employees to send money or provide access to sensitive company information. Other emails may look like routine password update requests or other automated messages but are actually attempts to steal information. Scammers also can use malware to lock organizations’ files and hold them for ransom.

Remember: If you get a random call or email from ourselves and you don’t recognise the support technician give us a call from the number on our website and we will be able to confirm or deny whose calling.

General issues to be aware of

There is a lot of spam emails going around that ask you to login to your email account and they might have a Login button.  Never use those emails to login to your email account.  Always use the official website or app that you’ve always previously used. Always be wary of clicking links in an email.

The common theme that runs through the scams above involve “social engineering” which is basically convincing someone that you are someone you’re not.  If a scammer can convince you that they are someone else or some other official company then they don’t need any special hacking skills at that point as they may receive the information they need off you / your business / your employees.

Best way to prevent scams?

Become alert to any change of payment information, any request for information which sounds strange, or any request which is out of the ordinary especially those which are time critical. Don’t click links in emails that you were not expecting, and get a second opinion from your IT company or IT representative at your company. Check the from address on the email to make sure its exactly the correct email address if it comes from someone you may know.  E.g. If you receive an email from joe.bloggs@examplecompany.com and then you get an email from joeblogs.examplecompany@gmail.com requesting a change of bank details or something then you can be sure there’s something fishy going on!

If you need us to check any messages or would like any further advice or consultancy on this please get in touch.

Merry Christmas! We hope you are keeping well and are looking forward to a break over the holidays. We wanted to inform you that we will be closed from the 23rd December, 2022 until the 3rd of January, 2023.

We will be available for emergency assistance via servicedesk@bowe.co.uk on select days and times only, as detailed below:

  • Friday, 23rd Dec – 10.00am – 4.00pm
  • Monday, 26th Dec (Bank holiday) – Closed
  • Tuesday, 27th Dec (Bank holiday) – Closed
  • Wednesday, 28th Dec – 10.00am – 4.00pm
  • Thursday, 29th Dec – 10.00am – 4.00pm
  • Friday, 30th Dec  – 10.00am – 4.00pm
  • Monday, 2nd  Jan (Bank holiday) – Closed
  • Tuesday, 3rd Jan – Normal hours resume

 We hope you have a lovely Christmas.

Kind regards,

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Bowe Digital in business and we would like to share with you how it all began.

Company History

Karen & Richard Bowe have been working within the IT industry since the early 1970’s.  In 1992, they decided to form their own company to resell Sage products in the accounts and manufacturing industries. Over time, this led to adding additional manufacturing products to the existing portfolio, including Swan Manufacturing. In turn, this led to working with larger SME’s and increasing the target market.

Richard Bowe specialised in software development which set Bowe apart from many other Sage Business partners, who were only able to re-sell the products. This means that Bowe were able to write “add-ons” to existing Sage programs to assist with specific business issues. This gave Bowe a status of Premier Business Partner, which meant giving Bowe a better margin on sales and more support from Sage.

Over the next 5 years the company grew which enabled Bowe to start developing products in its own right, with a bespoke solution for the food industry (Bakery and Production Software – BaPS). This came about at a customer request to write software to fit their criteria as a Wholesale Bakery as there were no products available to them at the time in the current marketplace.

In addition to software development, Bowe supplied and supported the hardware platform, which included servers, desktops PC’s and related peripherals. This progressed onto moving into the networking and IT communications arena.

Due to company growth Bowe decided to move to larger premises in Northumberland. The new location was a converted farmhouse in beautiful surroundings in Bywell, Stocksfield just off the A69 only a short distance to the A1.

In March 2011, a decision was made to move back into Newcastle due to the global recession and Richard’s long-term illness.  Other factors included commute time and transport links.

Due to improvements within the IT industry, it was decided that Bowe would re-write the BaPS system on a Microsoft SQL database to ensure that the system remained robust and kept up to date with links to Sage accounts.

From June 2011, Richard was unable to continue to work for the business due to ill health; Karen took over as Managing Director ensuring continuity for existing customers and staff members.

The business focused collectively on the manufacturing arena, due to historical company expertise and growth within the food and manufacturing industry.

To continue with the company development, a new website, branding and marketing drive was created.

With the Pandemic in 2020, Bowe Digital worked with their clients to support and advise on the challenges that working remotely presents. This allowed businesses to stay operational and meet the demands within their own industries.

In 2022, Bowe moved into new larger premises which boasts new modern surroundings on the popular Silverlink Business Park, offering private parking, access to public transport routes and close to the A19. The company is going from strength to strength and plans to expand into new industries as technology is developing and becoming more essential to businesses.

Computer memory or more commonly known as RAM (Random Access Memory) is super fast memory used by your computer to store information it needs access to very quickly, for example Microsoft Word when running would be stored in your computers memory. In contrast a document you haven’t edited or have just saved is stored on the computers internal storage, in the modern era this is most commonly an SSD, if you would like some more information about SSD’s please refer to our previous article here.

Issues with your memory can arise mainly from simply not having enough of it, at minimum modern versions of Microsoft Windows recommend at least 8GB of memory to run! Not having enough can cause your computer to run very slowly as it has to dip into much slower internal storage known as a paging file and can often lead to programmes crashing and work being lost. On the bright side installing new faster memory can also breathe new life into previously old and ailing systems and extend the viable lifetime of older systems saving you money in the long term.

Installing memory is considered one of the easier tasks when it comes to upgrading and maintaining computers, our engineer Alex demonstrates in the below video just how easy it is:

As you can see in just under eight seconds the engineer was able to install the memory (RAM) stick into the computer.

If you feel like you could benefit from a system refresh and to help you get the most out of your computers please contact Bowe at our contact page here, or if you feel like you would benefit from professional, friendly North East IT Support feel free to give us a call on 0191 214 1750 because we make IT happen!

What is a Solid State Drive?

The world of SSD’s (Solid State Drives) can be confusing for the average user as there are now so many different types of SSD. They are storage devices similar to hard drives but instead of spinning disks they use small chips known as “Nand flash” similar to the chips that can be found on a USB flash drive. They can be connected in so many different ways from good old SATA transfer used in traditional spinning disk hard-drives (HDD) that you may be familiar with to the much newer M.2 connecters used in most modern business computers and laptops.

What’s the difference between SSDs?

The main difference to be aware of is the speed difference between the connectors. Your SATA SSD looks similar to your average 2.5″ HDD and is generally much faster with speeds of up to 560mb/s (megabytes per second) this is 5.6x faster than a spinning disk hard-drive. Your average M.2 drive that makes use of the NVME protocol can reach speeds of up to 3600mb/s which is 36x faster than a hard-drive. Businesses that need even faster speeds can pick a top of the range M.2 drive which can reach up to 10,000 mb/s. This is 100x faster than a hard-drive, talk about speedy!

Are there any downsides to SSDs?

The main drawback would be that SSD’s are generally slightly more expensive per gigabyte of storage than a hard-drive however they make up for this in sheer reliability and performance and they are much less likely to suffer from physical damage. This makes them more suited for use in laptops and where speed is a priority.

What to do if you feel you could benefit from an upgrade to an SSD?

If you feel like your business could benefit from upgrading your business systems to brand new devices containing SSD’s or if you just want to refresh your existing systems and get a much needed performance boost, please get in touch and we can arrange an upgrade, because we make IT happen.

As a business evolves its IT systems need to evolve with it. This has become even more apparent over the last few years as businesses of all sizes have had to become more flexible and adaptable to succeed. Unfortunately, some businesses don’t have the in-house resource or expertise to manage these changes and this is where bridging the gap and partnering with a Managed Service Provider (MSP) to oversee all your IT requirements comes in.

In this article we look at the benefits of partnering with a Managed IT Services Provider.

Minimise Downtime

IT downtime can have a direct impact on your bottom line and ongoing business operations. Servers can fail, computers can malfunction, or system attacks can take out your network and data. An in-house team may not have the experience to resolve these issues effectively, or the resource to respond to these swiftly. However, an MSP can help your business adopt a proactive approach to your IT infrastructure. For example, we offer a professional support package which includes proactive monitoring of every workstation (laptop and desktop), as well as servers. This package monitors connectivity, disk space, security, backup failures and will also identify and fix any issues before they impact on your business. An MSP also has the resource to respond quickly to these threats and can help you put a disaster recovery plan in place to help mitigate the impact of any downtime. 

A Team of Experts

Your company may have an individual or a team in place to manage your IT and who are familiar with your existing systems. However, they may not have the necessary expertise or skills to operate new or updated systems and take on new responsibilities. An MSP will give you access to a team of diverse and knowledgeable experts who possess specialised skills and can provide extra resource to support a business’s current team or fill any gaps in their expertise, whilst also helping them to keep up to date with the latest technology trends and information.

Access to the Latest Technology

Technology is constantly evolving, and it can be difficult to discern what type of equipment or software is right for your business. Companies can make the mistake of investing in the wrong infrastructure or lack the expertise to manage it.  An MSP will keep you updated on the latest industry trends and technologies and advise on which software is worth investing in. They will also take responsibility for the maintenance and upgrades of the systems involved.

24/7 Managed IT Support

It is essential for IT systems to be monitored constantly to prevent issues from occurring. An MSP will typically run a help desk 24 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning support is always available when customer’s need it.

Security

As cyber-attacks increase in frequency and sophistication, IT teams can struggle to deal with them. An MSP will have a team of experts with access to the latest tools and techniques to keep your business protected from data loss, hacking etc.

Acting as a trusted IT solutions partner to our clients; we provide reliable managed IT and advanced technology solutions. Our team of experts have their fingers on the pulse of the technology industry and changing business landscape and will ensure you have the most sophisticated and best suited solutions for your business.

If you are looking for a North East Managed Services Provider, look no further than Bowe Digital. To find out more about our services, please get in touch today.

Our recently appointed Business Development Executive Cassandra McGill will be at the North East England Chamber of Commerce: Inspiring Females Conference
on Thursday 8th September 2022 at Ramside Hall. Please say Hello if you’re going!

At Bowe Digital, we pride ourselves on delivering exceptional customer care. Our team of experts have their fingers on the pulse of the technology industry, and the evolving needs of our customers, to ensure they get the best possible solution and value from their investment.

Here David Rosher, our Software Developer, shares an insight into his role.

Tell us a little about your journey with Bowe Digital?

I joined Bowe Digital in 2004 as a Junior Engineer. Due to my skills and enthusiasm, I have progressed over the years, and I now lead the software development team at Bowe Digital. I look after the full stack of development for our in-house products, this includes database planning and design, feature innovation, and technology selection. In essence, I take the wishes and ideas our customers have for their technology and turn them into a reality which is really fulfilling.

One of the most important parts of my job is ensuring our customers are happy, they are why we are here after all. From a software point of view this means I always try to find the most efficient way of doing something, so customers who use our software can save valuable time.

What is a typical day in your job?

My role is very varied, so one minute I might be releasing exciting new features for our software and the next I am resolving customer issues. No two days are the same for me, which is one of the things I love about my role at Bowe Digital.

In a typical day, I start work at 9am and jump into a meeting with our technical team, during which we discuss our job lists and priorities. Once all the work has been discussed, I take the opportunity to check in on everybody and ensure they are all doing well.

I then review and address any customer support tickets and then I review my development feature list and start developing. Depending on our development schedules, one day I might be working on Bowe Digital’s Skip Hire Software, another day our Bakery Software, the next Accounts System Links or Web Ordering Platforms.

At lunchtime, I tend to grab a sandwich and go for a walk. My daughter is only six months old, so when I work from home, I usually take her out in the pram. She’s full of energy so a nice walk with my partner will help her drift off for her mid-morning sleep!

When I’m back from lunch, I respond to emails and address customer support tickets, and then I get back to developing software!

What do you enjoy about your work?

As I’ve worked at Bowe Digital for about 18 years, you can tell I love my career. I enjoy working alongside our team, seeing ideas transform from thoughts to fully encompassing systems, and improving the productivity of our customers’ businesses.

In addition, our management team are always very supportive of me and have assisted me with extra development software which gives our products that edge over some others out there. Seeing customers use what I’ve created is fantastic and knowing I can help make a difference using my skills is the most rewarding part of my job.

You can find more information on Bowe Digital and the IT support and software we offer here.

Cyber Essentials advice and certification from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), a part of Government Communications Head Quarters (GCHQ), helps organisations of all sizes defend against the most common cyber threats and demonstrate their commitment to cyber security.

In January 2022 the National Cyber Security Centre updated the requirements for Cyber Essentials in what is the largest overhaul of the scheme’s technical controls since its launch in 2014. The refresh of Cyber Essentials reflects, among other things, the speed of the digital transformation and the adoption of cloud services, as well as the move to home and hybrid working.

The new version of the Cyber Essentials technical requirements were released on 24 January. Any assessments already underway, or that began before that date, will continue to use the current technical standard.

Over the past 12 months we have seen a growing request for Cyber Essentials support, as the benefits of this certification are extensive. Including:

  • A government-backed scheme, Cyber Essentials helps organisations defend against the most common cyber threats.
  • It provides reassurance to your customers that your systems are secure.
  • A Cyber Essentials certification is often a requirement for organisations working on UK government contracts.
  • Many organisations, particularly those in heavily regulated sectors such as finance and defence, also require those in their supply chain to demonstrate the security of their systems.

Our experts can work with you to perform your evaluation and help you to achieve your Cyber Essentials Certificate, helping you protect your business and demonstrate security to your customers.

Get in touch to find out how we can help your business.

Source: National Cyber Security Centre – https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/information/update-to-the-cyber-essentials-technical-controls